Michael Owen’s daughter, Gemma Owen, has been announced as one of the new cast members on Love Island.
The popular dating show is revealing this year’s batch of hopeful contestants throughout the day (Monday 30 May).
Among the cast announced so far is 19-year-old Gemma, who is the oldest child of the former England professional player.
“I am open to finding love, I’m wanting to have a really fun summer,” she said of her reasons for taking part in the show.
“I was seeing someone and then that didn’t work out so I thought, ‘Why not?’”
Dressage rider Gemma has described herself as “fun, flirty and fiery”, as well as being a good and honest person to approach for advice.
As well as this, Gemma spoke out about her relationship with sport and how it has influenced her life.
She explained in a pre-show statement: “Sport has always been a big thing for me and my family. My dad was a professional football player. I’ve competed for Great Britain in dressage since I was 11 years old.
“I’ve travelled all across Europe competing in big arenas in big competitions.”
As a result, she credits her love of sport with her “very competitive” nature when it comes to romance.
“I will always go for what I want,” she noted. “But at the same time, I’m not going to mess up something for someone who is in a proper relationship or get in the way of a couple if they have a genuine connection.
“I wouldn’t do anything to another girl that I wouldn’t be happy with them doing to me.”
Love Island starts at 9pm Monday 6 June on ITV2 and ITV Hub, with episodes available the following morning on BritBox.
The Independent’s rundown of this year’s contestants can be found here.
