• Michael Owen responds to Love Island jokes about daughter Gemma’s love life.
• Daughter Gemma was one of the first Islanders to arrive in the villa this week.
• The 19-year-old has been paired with Liam Llewellyn and Luca Bish so far.

Michael Owen has responded to Love Island jokes following daughter Gemma’s debut on the ITV2 show.

Gemma, 19, was one of the first Islanders to arrive in the villa this week, making her the latest star to join the cast — who can forget Love Island winner Dani Dyer or Marcel from Blazin’ Squad?

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During Channel 4’s coverage of the Nations League match, Gemma’s father Michael, a former footballer who is now a pundit, received some criticism.

Rather than introducing Michael by name, co-host Jules Breach humorously referred to him as “the father of Love Island’s Gemma Owen.”

Michael laughed it off, though he said he wasn’t thrilled to be discussing his 19-year-old daughter’s love life.

“I came all the way to Germany to try and avoid all that back home, but it has been brought up straight away,” he said.

“But I am feeling alright. This is taking my mind off it, so don’t bring it back up!”

Gemma has been paired with 22-year-old Liam Llewellyn from Newport so far in the villa, while she has expressed interest in 23-year-old Luca Bish from Brighton.

We’re sure her father Michael will hear a lot about whichever boy she chooses!

Before entering the villa, Gemma promised her father that she would make him proud of the way she acts while looking for the ideal singleton.

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“My dad said to me, ‘I’m not going to tell you what you can and can’t do, it’s up to you to make your own decisions’,” she told Metro.

“I’m very close with my family so I wouldn’t do anything anyway that would purposely disrespect them or embarrass them. I’m very aware of what they would potentially feel uncomfortable by.”