Exclusive: Gemma Owen reveals how her 'brutal' new challenge has brought her closer to her father Michael

Like Michael Owen, her famous father, Gemma Owen is committed to her sport. The TV personality has dedicated her life to her horses, balancing success as a dressage rider with a burgeoning career in equestrian presenting, along with creating content for her 1.6m followers on Instagram. 

And her latest venture has brought her even closer to the former Liverpool and England striker, she tells HELLO! in this exclusive shoot and interview at the Owens’ family home, Lower Soughton Hall, in North Wales, where Gemma lives with her father, her mother, Louise Bonsall, and her siblings: James, 20, Emily, 18, and Jessica, 16. 

Gemma, 23, is part of the line-up for this year's Markel Magnolia Cup, a charity race that takes place on Ladies' Day at the Goodwood Festival. 

On 30 July, 12 amateur female jockeys will compete in a fast and furious five-and-a-half-furlong race on the Goodwood estate in West Sussex, the ancestral home of the Duke of Richmond. 

Now, she reveals, her endeavour has struck a chord with her father, who bought his first racehorses after he returned from the 1998 World Cup in France and went on to establish his own racing yard – Manor House Stables, in Cheshire – in 2007. The former England captain, who retired in 2013 following a stellar career, has described racing as his passion. 

"Dad is really enjoying it," says Gemma, who shot to fame when she appeared on Love Island in 2022. "He's obsessed with the sport. He's always at Manor House. Since I've been training and riding racehorses myself, I think it's brought us closer together as a family – and in my relationship with him, I definitely think we've got closer."

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Gemma's forthcoming race has also sparked a new sense of competition between father and daughter. "He did a charity race [in 2017] at Ascot and he'd never ridden before. He learnt how to ride just for that race, and he came second,” she says. “He'll joke with me now: 'I'd never ridden before and I came second.’" 

Although he was praised for a "superb performance" at the time, Michael has not ridden since, Gemma says. He also hasn't shared any tips with her so far.

"He hasn’t told me how to ride yet, or how I should be doing anything," she says. "He likes to be in and around, and hear what the trainer is saying."

Gemma's own relationship with horses was forged by her mother, a lifelong equestrienne and a keen rider before she fractured her pelvis after falling off her horse in 2004. "Mum hasn’t had her own horse for a good few years, but now she’s quite happy helping me and my sister out,” says Gemma, whose youngest sister Jessica is a budding showjumper.

Gemma was just two when she got her first pony, Sasha, who featured in HELLO!'s coverage of Michael and Louise's wedding in 2005. "It's pretty cute," she says now of the pictures.

At the time, the family had just returned from Michael’s stint playing alongside David Beckham at Real Madrid, where Gemma had been in nursery school with David’s sons Brooklyn and Romeo. "I was quite young, so I don't remember the exact day,” she says of her parents’ wedding, which took place when she was two. “But it was so nice that we could revisit [the day], 20 years on."

She adds of her childhood: “Growing up, I've been so lucky to have the stables at home. That's truly every girl's dream. The stables are definitely the most meaningful place [to me]." 

Although she has achieved considerable success in dressage, having taken part in the Junior European Championships in 2021 and enjoying competing with her "incredible" horse Ronnie, Gemma is realistic about her future. 

"With any sport, to get to the top level, you have to live and breathe it," she says. "Horses are a huge part of my life and they always will be, but my career is not in dressage. In terms of the Olympic Games, I think it has to be your everything, and I don't think I could give [that]."

For now, her focus is on the Magnolia Cup. She was first asked to take part three years ago, but declined because of her dressage commitments. "This year, the timing was right, and I was in a place where I could give it 100%," she says.  

Major challenge 

Her first time on a racehorse at Manor House Stables was "humbling", she admits. "It did take a while to adjust. It wasn't: ‘You can ride dressage, so now you can be a jockey.’ It's been a challenge, but one that's been really enjoyable so far." 

She's been riding three or four times a week, as well as training in the gym to prepare for the fitness assessments that ensure jockeys are ready to race. "It's been brutal," she says. "Doing this training has given me a newfound respect for jockeys and their physical strength. I've been growing biceps!"

Gemma and her fellow jockeys, who include a breast-cancer survivor and a surgeon, will be riding in aid of the Education Above All Foundation, a non-profit organisation that aims to help children affected by poverty and conflict to access education and employment opportunities. "The work they've done is truly inspiring, and to be able to do the race for a good cause is fantastic," she says. 

She won't be nervous as she heads to the starting line, where her family will assemble to cheer her on; Manor House will be sending out many runners over the course of Glorious Goodwood. 

"I’m extremely competitive – it runs in the family," she says. "At the moment, I'm feeling good." And it might not be the last time we see Gemma race. "I'd like to say I'll keep on riding out… Dad would love it. It would be music to his ears." 

Horses will remain central to Gemma's life as she pursues a new passion: presenting. "It's something I'm really interested in," she says. Presenting the Horse of the Year show alongside Matt Baker on Channel 4 was a "highlight of last year – it was an incredible experience”.

She looks up to the "great" Clare Balding, with whom she has crossed paths at Cheltenham Festival. She is also friends with Lady Eliza Spencer, whom she met through the racing world, at the 2023 Melbourne Cup in Australia.

She'd love to work more with her father and her family, too. "When I'm with him, it's fun and lighthearted, and we have a nice relationship where we can bounce off each other,” she says.

Always on her mind 

Away from work, Gemma relishes travelling, but horses are never far away. When we speak, she's just returned from a "dream" riding safari holiday with her boyfriend – reportedly the equestrian Red Morgan – in South Africa and Botswana. 

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"They don't necessarily need to be horsey themselves; just having an interest in horses and appreciating what they bring to my life would be important," she says of a partner. The safari has "been on my bucket list for ages, and to be able to do it on horseback was so special”.

Next up? Several projects that she can’t yet discuss. Although it’s “been an incredibly busy time", she's hoping for a family trip to the south of France with her family after the Magnolia Cup. "I don't do anything crazy in terms of going out or partying," she says. "I'm a homebody. I like to spend time with my family; being with them is what I like to do."

The 2026 Markel Magnolia Cup takes place on 30 July on Ladies' Day at the Qatar Goodwood Festival; visit goodwood.com 

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