Love Island's Gemma Owen Shares 'Unfair' Way Dad 'Stopped Pocket Money'

Love Island star Gemma Owen declared her experience with pocket money as 'not fair' after it came to an end when she was 18 years old.

Now 19, Gemma could be in with a chance of winning £50,000 if she manages to make it all the way to the end of the latest series of the dating show; a prospect which could leave her laughing at the thought of relying on pocket money from her dad.

She made clear she wasn't laughing just a few months ago, though, when she learned her dad had concluded his handouts and expected her to go and get a job in order to earn money.

During an appearance on Emily Dean's Walking The Dog podcast, Gemma claimed her pocket money 'started late' in comparison to her other three siblings, Emily, Jessica and James.

Gemma is the eldest child of former professional footballer Michael Owen and his wife, Louise Bonsall, meaning she was subject to the trial-and-error ways of first-time parents.

It seems Michael and Louise hadn't quite made up their minds about how pocket money would work when Gemma was growing up, so much so that Gemma declared: "It's not fair, honestly. Pocket money only started for me a few years ago. My brother and sisters have had a good few years on me. In that way it's not fair."

Gemma, who was born in 2003, gained her first sibling, James, in 2006, followed by Emily in 2007 and Jessica in 2010.

The three-year age gap between herself and the second oldest sibling means Gemma is the only child to have so far turned 18; the age at which Michael insisted pocket money comes to an end.

Addressing Gemma's complaints about the handout, the former footballer said: "It stops when you're 18. If you want money so much get out and work. There's a pub down the road - work behind the bar or something. Nothing is fair in our house. Trying to balance all the kids and the wife is the most impossible job."

Though Gemma might not have agreed with her dad's decision to end her pocket money, she did find a way to make her own money by creating a swimwear business. For her birthday, Michael gifted Gemma a generous donation which she invested into the company.

As a business owner and a contestant on Love Island, Gemma has now insisted she doesn't want to be known as 'Michael's daughter' on the show.

Featured Image Credit: ITV/@themichaelowen/Instagram

Topics: Love Island, Celebrity, Entertainment, Money

Emily Brown

Emily Brown is the Community Desk Lead at LADbible Group. Emily first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route. She went on to graduate with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University before contributing to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems. She joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features, and now works as Community Desk Lead to commission and write human interest stories from across the globe.