Michael Owen has previously opened up about the jealousy he suffered that led him to going for counselling. The former Liverpool and Manchester United footballer is currently watching his daughter, Gemma, attempt to find love on the 2022 series of Love Island.
Over the weekend the former England star criticised an under-18s girls' football coach over a sickening tweet about his 19-year-old daughter after previously trying to avoid addressing her participation in the ITV2 dating show. He called out a crude response on football coach Paul Proud's account after he admitting he didn't want to see Gemma kissing on the ITV dating show.
It comes as international dressage rider Gemma continues to cause a stir in the villa, a week into the eighth series. On Friday she was seen re-coupling with fishmonger Luca Bish, 23, after being paired with business owner Davide Sanclimenti, 27, from Rome but lives Manchester.
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But with Luca showing an interest in her, Gemma decided she needed to get to know the fishmonger. However, their blossoming relationship has been quickly rocked by the arrival of her ex-boyfriend rugby player Jacques O'Neill, 23. And it looks like something is set to get between the pair as a teaser at the end of Monday night's show (June 13) showed the pair in a disagreement.
Gemma hasn't spoken much about her family life in the villa, while also failing to mention her dad's fame. But it has now re-emerged that Michael spoke with a councillor in a bid to save his marriage over jealousy surrounding his wife and Gemma.
Writing in his 2020 autobiography, Reboot, he admitted that his mental state suffered upon retiring from the game and saw him become enraged over everything — including his wife Louise’s close relationship with their eldest child.
The dad-of-four said: "To my surprise, I found myself standing at a figurative cliff edge in 2014. A lifetime of that certain type of mentality, of behaviour, had led me to a point where I had to seek professional help... For years, because of my own inner demons, I was intentionally really hard on Louise about subjects that I knew would push her buttons most — not least her close relationship with our daughter Gemma."
Michael continued: "Let me be very clear and say that none of this was in any way a reflection on how I felt about either Gemma or Louise. I love them both with all of me. I’d take everything out on Louise, though. I’d accuse her of spending all her time with her eldest and ignoring the other kids. It wasn’t even true."
With the help from a doctor from his Manchester United days, Michael said at the time he and Louise went to a counsellor together before he continued on alone.
Michael has since shared his pride over his "clever and funny and kind, loyal and decent" daughter. Speaking over the weekend in an interview about Gemma’s role on Love Island, the proud dad said: “She’s still our baby. I’m still my parents’ baby and I’m 42! It’s how it is."
