Michael Owen admits he is having to go through what no father wants - and that is to watch your 19-year-old daughter on Love Island.
The new series of the much-loved ITV series made its return to screens on Monday night and the former Liverpool striker was out of the country at the time, but, upon his return on Wednesday, he decided to tune in and see how his daughter, Gemma, was getting on.
Owen was greeted with seeing Gemma 'coupled up' and sharing a bed with a dashing Italian called Davide, who is eight years older than her.
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Earlier this week, Owen was reluctant to go into detail over Gemma's TV move when he was asked about it during coverage of an England game.
But now, speaking to the Mail Online about the controversial show, Owen said: "It's not something any father wants to watch, is it? I said to [my wife] Louise, 'do they really have to sleep together, like in the same bed?' She said 'yes'. I said 'I did not bank on this'."
He carried on watching though, and added: "Luckily for me, there was no physical contact. Gemma had her back to the guy. There was space between them. I thought, 'Good girl'. No father wants to see physical contact, do they? I certainly don’t.
"If there is physical contact I think I’ll be throwing something at the screen. I don’t want to see kissing. Do not make me see kissing!"
Owen revealed that Gemma spoke with her parents before appearing on the show: "She wanted our blessing. She would never do something if she thought we’d be ashamed or disappointed in her, or her grandparents would be disappointed.
"You have two choices. You can either say, 'no way. No daughter of mine . . .', or you can be supportive. I think being supportive is always the better option. I suppose it comes down to love and trust. Eventually I looked at it like this: 'This is the test. If we’ve done everything right in bringing her up, which I think we have, then we shouldn’t be scared of this.'
"It wouldn’t have been my choice, but at some point you’ve got to trust your own parenting. You have to let them go, spread their wings. She’s a sensible girl. She won’t do anything that’ll make us ashamed."
There has been plenty of debate online over whether it is appropriate for Gemma to be on Love Island, given she is still a teenager. But Owen equated that to his own situation in the Liverpool dressing room when breaking through as a footballer.
He said: "She has had two years more than I had to get ready for life in the public eye. Also, she’s a mature 19. She’s a bit like me in that regard. I was playing for Liverpool when I was 17, and having to make friends with 23, 24, 25-year-olds. The bottom line is, she’s an adult and I have to trust her to make sensible decisions."
Owen added: "I’ll be honest with you. Twenty years ago, if I’d known I was going to have three daughters, I’d have said I’d be greeting any lads who came near them with a baseball bat. But you have to be realistic. My daughters are going to kiss people. They are going to have boyfriends, husbands, children one day. I get it.
"Most girls don’t kiss boys when their dads are watching, but that’s what the show is. And you’re being blind if you don’t realise this is going on in real life too."
