Michael Owen has spoken out for the first time following the Love Island final, in which his daughter Gemma, 19, and her partner Luca, 23, were named as the runners-up of the season.
The pair managed to beat couples Indiyah & Dami and Andrew & Tasha in the final public vote, but in the end, they were overtaken by fan-favourites Ekin-Su and Davide, who are leaving the Love Island villa £50,000 richer. Watch the nail-biting moment here:
Fans across the UK and beyond were on the edges of their seats on Monday night (1 August) as they watched host Laura Whitmore whittle off the final four one by one.
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While Tasha and Andrew were named as this year's fourth place holders, Indiyah and Dami came third - a result that came as quite a shock to some viewers.
Finally, after sitting through endless montages from the last eight weeks and waiting for what felt like a lifetime to hear Laura make her announcement, Ekin-Su and Davide were declared the winners, putting Gemma and Luca in second place.
When the dramatic finale came to an end, Gemma's famous father Michael Owen took to social media to congratulate her on a great season.
The former England footballer shared a photo taken with Gemma to Instagram, and wrote: "What a special girl. So proud of you, @gemowen_1. Now get home as we’ve all missed you."
Gemma hasn't seen her dad since she began her Love Island journey, but the family-oriented reality star will no doubt be rushing home to reunite with him as soon as she can.
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In the final days of the season, Gemma got paid a special visit from her mum Louise, who passed on a message to her from her dad.
Speaking to Gemma during the 'meet the parents' episode, Louise assured her daughter: "Honestly, he is really proud of you, really proud."
Owen had previously confirmed that he would not be joining Gemma in the villa, telling Sky Sports' At The Races that his 'wife will do that duty'.
He joked at the time: "I'll represent the horses and she'll represent the daughter.
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"I don't know what I'll get from Box To Box. But I know what I'm going to get from my daughter.
"I've fathered her for 19 years so I'm pretty sure what I'm going to get from her."
Gemma and Luca will be back on our television screens next weekend for ITV's Love Island reunion.
Topics: TV And Film, Love Island, ITV
Ali Condon