Not all of the Love Island contestants were aware of Gemma Owen’s famous dad when they arrived in the villa. Islander Ikenna Ekwonna revealed that the stars were told she was the daughter of Michael Owen in unaired scenes just days after they moved in.
On companion show Aftersun last night, the former islander, 23, shared the secret to host Laura Whitmore. He was sharing his experiences on the show alongside 24-year-old Amber Beckford.
Ikenna explained what happened on the ITV2 show. He said: "You know what's mad? We didn't really know until like the second or third day, but I don't think the girls knew that the guys knew."
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It was a response to comedian Darren Harriott, 33, who asked Ikenna what it was like getting a foot massage from islander Gemma, 19, the daughter of football icon Michael, the Mirror reports. Viewers had been aware that dressage rider Gemma was the daughter of the former footballer prior to the new series, though fans weren't sure if her fellow islanders knew.
The admission has prompted some viewers to speculate that the news may have influenced Luca Bish, 23, pursuing Gemma early on in the series - which surprised fans initially. "So the guys found out who Gemma's dad was three days in…around the same time Luca suddenly became interested in Gemma. Interesting," tweeted one viewer recently.
Another said: "Everyone knowing who Gemma's dad is after the 3rd day and Luca getting really obsessive right after." Whilst a third tweeted: "Lmao the obsession makes sense."
It comes just days after Gemma referenced her famous dad during a scene in the Beach Hut, with her mentioning him when asked to do her 'best impression' of someone. She responded to the task: "There's no way I'm going to do my dad, but people always do the classic, 'Oh if they don't score, then they don't win.' It's something like that."
Fans were excited over the scene - which aired in Unseen Bits - with one tweeting: "Gemma finally brought up her dad!" Another said: "Gemma finally referencing her celebrity dad."
The Mirror approached ITV for comment.
Love Island continues on ITV2 and ITV Hub tonight from 9pm. Episodes are available the following morning on BritBox. You can catch up on Aftersun through ITV Hub now.
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