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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Josh Luckhurst

Love Island bosses 'line up' former footballer Michael Owen's daughter for villa stint

The daughter of former England and Liverpool striker Michael Owen could be heading to the Love Island villa this summer.

Gemma Owen, 19, has reportedly been lined up by bosses of the hit ITV2 show for the eighth series which is due to start on June 6.

Gemma - the eldest of Michael and childhood sweetheart Louise Bonsall's four children, is an international dressage rider and represented Great Britain at the European Championships in Oliva last July.

She launched her own company - OG Beachwear - during the first coronavirus lockdown in 2020 and reports suggests she could cash in on the exposure of the popular dating programme.

Gemma Owen has launched her own swimwear business - OG Beachwear (Gemma Owen/Instagram)

"Gemma isn’t just beautiful, smart and single, but she has one of the country’s best-loved sports stars as her dad," a source told The Sun.

" ITV bosses are scrambling to get her signed up for this year’s Love Island.

"However, if talks are successful, it’s likely to be a huge payday for Gemma too.

"Weeks spent lounging about in a bikini is going to give her beachwear line the sort of boost most firms can only dream about and make her a huge star herself."

The Mirror has contacted ITV representatives for comment.

Gemma went to the Boodles May Festival at Chester Racecourse with her parents last week, attending Ladies' Day on Thursday before returning for the main event of the meeting - TOTE Chester Cup Day - on Friday.

Michael, who also played for Real Madrid, Newcastle, Manchester United and Stoke, has turned his hand to football punditry since retiring in 2013.

Gemma went to the Boodles May Festival TOTE Chester Cup Day at Chester Racecourse with her parents last week (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)

He also became a racehorse breeder and owner where he has had relative success. Brown Panther, which he bred and owned, won the 2011 King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot as well as the 2015 Dubai Gold Cup.

Owen, 42, has also dabbled with reality TV himself when he appeared on the third series of ITV hit show The Masked Singer earlier this year. He was the seventh singer to be unmasked as he performed under the guise of 'Doughnuts'.

On the show, the former England captain sang Survivor's Eye of the Tiger, Spice Up Your Life from the film 'Spice World', Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond and Five hit Everybody Get Up before being eliminated.

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