Former Love Island star Gemma Owen left the BBC Breakfast studios in Manchester on Thursday alongside her parents Michael and Louise Owen as they defended their upcoming television documentary against claims that the former footballer is boring.
The family television appearance came ahead of the release of their new six-part documentary series titled Meet the Owens, which will stream exclusively on Prime Video.
Gemma, 23, cut a chic figure as she departed the television studios in a grey knitted cardigan featuring a denim collar, paired with high-waisted white trousers and heels. She wore her long dark tresses in loose waves with a glowing makeup look while walking alongside her parents, both 46.
Michael, who currently runs racehorse stables, wore a blue shirt and chinos for the morning broadcast. His wife Louise opted for a chunky knit cardigan teamed with white trousers as the couple joined their daughter in Salford.
Michael Owen rose to national fame as a prodigiously talented striker for Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle United, and Manchester United, earning 89 caps for England and winning the prestigious Ballon d'Or in 2001. Gemma Owen achieved widespread public recognition after finishing as the runner-up on the eighth series of the ITV2 reality dating show Love Island in 2022, while also competing internationally as a dressage rider.
Defending the family docuseries
During their joint interview on BBC Breakfast, the family addressed public perceptions surrounding the former England footballer. Michael revealed that his own children often tease him about his public image, explaining: "My kids always say 'dad everyone thinks you're dead boring'."
Gemma pushed back against the label, insisting that viewers will gain a fresh perspective on her father once the series airs. "I like that people can see a different side to dad in the documentary," she said. "He is funny and entertaining. Everyone thinks that he is boring but I think they will see a different side to him."
Michael explained that the project initially began with a narrower focus before expanding into a full fly-on-the-wall series. "The idea for the show started as let's promote the stables but the more the cameras are around, the more you get friendly with the crew and then it all just becomes part of your life and you forget they're there," he said. He added: "We didn't want it to be scripted we wanted it to be authentic. It's been a big change from football to working with horses and it's been loads of fun."
Financial struggles in horse racing
Transitioning from elite professional sports to equine management has presented significant financial obstacles for the former sports star. At the peak of his playing career, Michael commanded a salary of roughly £110,000 per week while playing for Newcastle United between 2005 and 2009.
After retiring from professional football in 2013, Michael shifted his focus to horse racing, establishing Manor House Stables in Cheshire to breed and train thoroughbreds. Despite possessing an impressive reported net worth of £54.4 million, he candidly admitted on the upcoming series that running the business requires strict financial discipline.
"The biggest challenge is the financial side," Michael confessed while discussing his new business venture. "It's a bloody hard business and I can't keep haemorrhaging money."
Retirement and adjusting to life after football
The former striker also reflected deeply on the emotional toll of hanging up his boots and leaving the professional game. "All of a sudden you're living under your wife's feet and you're settling into a new life," Michael mused.
He spoke about missing the intensity and public adulation that accompanied high-level sport. "Retiring from football you no longer feel so valued, loved. There were feelings of adulation constantly, like a drug and you want to make people happy," he said. "When you're winning trophies all the time and scaring the s**t out of defenders that's what gave me my buzz."
Severe physical injuries plagued the latter half of his career, accelerating his decision to retire. "Injuries made me 50 percent of the player that I was, I was almost embarrassed to walk out with my name on my back so I was desperate to retire," Michael explained. "And that's pretty sad, when you just don't enjoy your job. I've come to realise I need a purpose in life."
High stakes at horse auctions
Michael's passion for racing began early in his football career, having purchased his first racehorse at the age of 18 after returning home from the 1998 World Cup in France. However, competing against ultra-wealthy international buyers has proved challenging.
He acknowledged the difficulty of going up against rivals "who have much bigger pockets than me" in the thoroughbred market. In one episode of Meet the Owens, cameras follow Michael to a horse auction where he faces stiff competition and is frequently outbid by members of foreign royal families and dignitaries.
"My sweet spot with horses is anything between £30,000 and £100,000," Michael explained during the sequence, before informing his wife Louise that he had spent £273,000 purchasing three horses in a single day.
Louise expressed her frustration at her husband's impulsive spending decisions. "Michael doesn't tell me anything so I have to trust he's in control," she confessed.
She further highlighted the contrast in how Michael views household expenses compared to equine investments. "Michael is very odd about spending money," Louise noted. "He won't think twice about spending money on a horse, but if the kids leave a light on in the house he will hit the roof! Or if I want to redecorate the bathroom because the paint is falling off the wall he'll be like, 'is that really necessary?'"
Michael has previously demonstrated a combative response to online criticism regarding his personality and past anecdotes, once branding online detractors as "muppets who still live with their parents in their 40s" after being mocked over a childhood story about throwing apples into a bin.
Reflecting on The Masked Singer
The docuseries also touches upon Michael's unexpected foray into reality entertainment, including his 2022 appearance on the ITV competition show The Masked Singer, where he reached the sixth episode performing inside a costume as 'Doughnuts'.
His 18-year-old daughter Emily cringed at the memory of his performance, describing it as embarrassing. Michael defended his decision to participate, stating: "What made me do it? I guess the money! Now I've done it I'm actually quite proud of it."
Upon reviewing footage of his singing performance on screen, Michael laughed at his appearance. "Wow I've got a fat head - I look like a doughnut there! I've lost about three stone since then," he remarked.
His 16-year-old daughter Jessica offered her own review of his musical efforts. "He did decent. He was definitely the entertainment... He did lots of questionable singing, I was quite glad he was voted out!" she said.
Inside the Owen family home
Produced by media company Whisper, Meet the Owens provides an unscripted look across a full year in the life of Michael, Louise, and their four children: Gemma, James, Emily, and Jessica. The show documents their efforts to balance a commercial horse racing enterprise alongside a busy household.
The family is currently navigating transitions at home as Michael and Louise prepare for an impending empty nest. Youngest daughter Jessica, 16, is pursuing ambitions to become an Olympic showjumping champion.
Meanwhile, 18-year-old Emily is working towards becoming the first member of the Owen family to attend university, and son James is weighing up whether to enter the family horse racing business.
All six episodes of Meet the Owens will be available to stream exclusively on Prime Video from August 28, 2026.
