Michael Owen has reacted to his daughter Gemma’s raunchy dance on Love Island last night, and fans are finding it hilarious.
Last night’s episode of the hit ITV reality show Love Island saw the return of one of the series’ most popular and infamous annual challenges, where the islanders are hooked up to heart monitoring machines and are then tasked with performing raunchy dances for the other competitors to see who’s heart they can raise and who raises their heart the most.
It’s a challenge that’s known for bringing the drama and often becoming the catalyst for a fair few arguments in the villa – and last night was no exception.
As it was the turn of this year’s youngest contestant, 19-year-old international dressage rider Gemma Owen – who is the eldest of four children to Michael Owen – to take on the challenge, the former footballer took to Twitter to share his hilarious reaction.
Gemma was one of the first girls up, and while she danced for all the boys, she mostly focused on raising Luca’s heart rate – who she has been coupled up with for most of her time in the villa – and the two got closer than ever.
After Gemma successfully completed the challenge, her dad shared his embarrassed reaction on social media as he watched on from home.
A man of a few words, or in this case no words at all, Michael simply tweeted a single emoji of a person hiding their face and covering their eyes with their hands.
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It has already amassed over 12,000 retweets and more than 60,000 likes.
After the former England international and TV pundit – who notably played for big-name clubs like Liverpool, Manchester United, and Newcastle during his career – shared his reaction to the challenge, hundreds of viewers, fans, and even some famous brands and companies responded in the comments.
Gemma Owen taking on the infamous heart rate challenge on last night’s episode of Love Island / Credit: ITV
One viewer replied to Michael’s tweet: “Watching your daughter strip on prime time TV for a fisherman would have made my heart explode.”
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“Wrong night to tune in mate,” another fan commented.
A third responded: “A dad’s nightmare. To be fair you should feel very proud. She’s a very mature 19 year old and can clearly hold her own.”
Specsavers, Boots, O2, and Deliveroo were some of the brands to respond to the viral tweet.
The 42-year-old said he’d never watched the popular ITV show before, but he’s “heard a lot about it” and will tuning in this year, adding: “I think old, grumpy men like me will always have an opinion on it because I don’t watch it and you just hear the snippets, but she assures me that it’s not as bad as I think.
“So, we’ll give it a watch and I hope she enjoys herself.”
Featured Image – ITV
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Dame Sarah Storey is going on Strictly Come Dancing 2026
Danny Jones
Record-breaking local athlete and Paralympian, Dame Sarah Storey, is set to become the latest to join the Strictly Come Dancing annals.
With the Strictly cast for 2026 steadily being unveiled, we always keep an eye out for the Greater Manchester names in particular.
That being said, we’re buzzing to see the hugely successful Stockport swimmer turned cyclist will be swapping her Team GB kit for sparkly, sequined ballroom gowns and an entirely different type of sport and fitness.
Announced on Friday, 17 July, Storey is the seventh celebrity to be confirmed for the 24th series of the hit BBC show and dancing competition.
Having represented her country not only at nine Paralympics but across two different disciplines after switching to the racing bike back in 2005, she’s our most decorated competitor in the entire history of the Games with 30 medals to her name – 19 of which are gold.
Absolute GOAT levels.
But now the Cheadle Hulme-born is once again set to show her versatility to see how she fares on the dance floor later this year.
Commenting ahead of the new-look season which starts this September, the 48-year-old said: “Embarking on a new challenge so soon after stepping down as an athlete is hugely exciting.
“I have always loved watching Strictly, and my daughter Louisa is a very talented dancer, so to be able to learn from the best and hopefully understand even more about her world is incredibly motivating! I can’t wait to get started!”
This latest sea-change comes not long after the local legend and sporting icon officially announced her retirement from professional sport more than three decades on from first bursting onto the scene.
Thank you for taking the time to leave all the incredible messages. It’s so wonderful to read them and thank you for being the greatest supporters 🥰
— Dame Sarah Storey (@DameSarahStorey) July 9, 2026
What a career she’s had; it obviously didn’t take her long to get tired of sitting still for once, either.
She will be joined by the likes of Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Chris Appleton, Cach Mercer and Will Best.
In case you missed it, the upcoming edition of Strictly Come Dancing will be the first since Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman stepped down, with Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and pro dancer Johannes Radebe stepping in as replacements.
In other starring Stockport news, we’ve finally got more info on the final season of a popular programme filmed in the area. Find out more down below.
Family-friendly LGBTQ+ festival returns to Manchester Pride 2026
Danny Jones
Exactly what it says on the tin, Proud Fest returns to Manchester for 2026, promising plenty of fun for all ages away from the main hustle and bustle this summer.
Best part of all? It’s completely FREE.
Taking place in the heart of the city centre, it offers a viable alternative to many who want to avoid the major crowds that flock to Gay Village’s Pride party every year.
Just the second year that this LGBTQIA+ festival has been set up, making its colourful debut in 2025, there’ll be everything from live music, games and other interactive opportunities for all ages, arts and crafts, plus workshops and plenty more; there’s something for everyone here.
Championing “entertainment, family-friendly activities, music, creativity, and plenty of Pride spirit”, the 2026 edition of Proud Fest is set to be one of the biggest ever.
Based around Great Northern Warehouse just off Deansgate and Peter Street, it’s set to be hosted by drag queen ‘Aida H Dee’, as well as Sara Gosney-Hughes, best-known for her travel expertise and work as a broadcaster and producer at nearby station Hits Radio.
With both calling Manchester home, alongside lots of other organisers behind the free festivities, you can expect plenty of hometown passion and pride – pun very much intended.
Set up in partnership with Proud 2 b Parents (P2bP), mums, dads and more will also be able to enjoy the official Pride parade from a viewing area in the dedicated Community Hall, where they’ll get a perfect spot to watch the floats and performers go down the strip.
Canal Street is already gearing up for those sublime, sun-soaked evenings at the end of August.
Speaking ahead of the latest iteration of the annual festival, Founder and CEO of P2bP, Matt Taylor-Roberts, told us in a statement: “Proud Fest is about creating the spaces many of us wished existed when we first became parents.
“It’s a celebration of LGBTQ+ families in all their diversity and a reminder that every family deserves to feel seen, supported and celebrated.”
At its core, this is about creating a safe and friendly option for families to still feel connected to the queer community and play their part in the wider celebrations.
You can grab your completely complimentary tickets right HERE.
And if you’re looking for other great days out for the family in Manchester this summer, there’s another free event happening at Circle Square earlier in the month.
Emily Sergeant -
29th June 2022 
