Michael Owen has shut down speculation that he will appear in a forthcoming episode of Love Island.
The former England footballer’s daughter Gemma is currently competing on the hit ITV2 reality series.
At the time of writing, Gemma is coupled with Luca, with the couple saying “I love you” during Thursday (14 July) night’s episode.
Love Island typically features a “meet the parents” episode towards the end of each series, in which the islanders’ families arrive at the villa to meet their other halves ahead of the final.
Many viewers had assumed that Owen would be making an appearance on the show.
However, speaking on Sky Sports’ At The Races after watching his racehorse run, Owen said he would be deferring to his wife during the “meet the parents” episode.
“My wife will do that duty,” he said. “I’ll represent the horses and she’ll represent the daughter.”
Owen has been a much-talked about presence among Love Island viewers this season, despite not appearing on the series himself.
His name began trending on social media during one episode after Gemma and Luca were seen spending an intimate moment in the Love Island hideaway together.
As part of a challenge that aired on Tuesday 28 June, Gemma was tasked with dressing up in a seductive outfit in the hopes of raising the pulses of Luca and the other boys in the villa.
When the episode aired, Owen appeared to share his reaction to the scenes on social media.
Love Island continues tonight at 9pm on ITV2.
