Owen: It’s a father’s worst nightmare but she will do us proud
Footie ace’s Love Island hope
FORMER England football star Michael Owen says his daughter signing up for Love Island is “a father’s worst nightmare”.
Gemma, 19, said this week her dad was “not 100% happy” with her being on the show and was not sure what to expect as he has never seen it.
But Michael says she has the full backing of himself and her mum Louise Bonsall.
The 42-year-old said: “I have no doubts that she will make us all proud. It’s probably a father’s worst nightmare, but whatever she wants to do you’ve got to be supportive.
“I think old, grumpy men like me will always have an opinion on it because I don’t watch it and you just hear the snippets, but she assures me it’s not as bad as I think.
“So, we’ll give it a watch and I hope she enjoys herself.”
Owen, who is also dad to James, 16, Emily, 15, and Jessica, 11, with wife Louise said he knows Gemma is a “sensible” girl, and added: “I think I’ve given her a decent enough grounding to be respectful.”
And he believes the hardest part will be her being away from her family.
“It’s been different without her in the house,” he said of the international dressage competitor. “It’s been quite tough because she’s had to switch her phone off and we’ve had no contact for a couple of weeks.”
Gemma said this week she will avoid “disrespecting or embarrassing” her family on the show.
“They trust me not to do anything to embarrass them, so I don’t think I would have sex in the villa,” she said.
“I think what my family think is always going to be in the forefront of my mind because they are the most important thing to me, and the opinion I care about the most.”
And though Michael has warned her off footballers, he did not give her any rules before entering the villa.
“My dad didn’t actually give me that much advice,” she insisted. “He said: ‘I’m not going to tell you dos and don’ts - you know how to behave. You just go and do it.’
“My mum’s bit of advice was, ‘Gem, just remember to keep it classy.’”
Elsewhere in the villa this year will be Covid hero Ikenna Ekwonna.
He worked in pharmaceutical sales for coronavirus vaccine firm AstraZeneca and specialises in cardiovascular renal metabolic work.
The 23-year-old said: “I guess you could say you had me to thank that we’re out of lockdown – I had some responsibility.”
■ Love Island starts on Monday at 9pm on ITV2.
I think old, grumpy men like me will always have an opinion on it
MICHAEL OWEN WHO HAS NEVER SEEN LOVE ISLAND