Love Island‘s Gemma admitted that comparisons between her show partner Luca and her footballer father Michael Owen made her “sick” during Sunday’s reunion episode – when Luca revealed he had finally spoken to the sportsman.
Luca admitted to bickering at the reunion as they headed home from Elstree Studios. They both looked gloomy when they were caught in the car on Thursday night.
And in scenes from the pre-recorded reunion show that aired on ITV2 on Sunday night, Gemma spoke about how difficult it is for her to compare Luca to a young Michael, something her mother Louise emphasized on last month’s Meet the Parents episode.
Unimpressed: Love Island’s Gemma admitted that comparisons between her show partner Luca and her footballer, father Michael Owen, made her ‘sick’ during Sunday’s reunion episode
Hostess Laura Whitmore asked Luca if he’d spoken to retired footballer Michael since he left the Love Island villa last week, and asked the fishmonger, “I know you’ve met her mother, have you met her father?”
Luca replied, “Not yet, we’ve had a little FaceTime together and that’s it.”
Referring to the comparisons between Luca and Michael, Laura quipped, “Was it like looking at yourself into the future?”
Chatter: Gemma’s comments came when Luca said he had finally spoken to Michael (pictured) via FaceTime since leaving the villa last Monday
Gemma buried her face in her hands and muttered, “Oh, God!” before looking up and saying, “I can’t see it at all, you know? And it actually makes me a little sick just thinking about it.’
Laura laughed: “They say we all have that complex where you go for one of your parents!”
On Twitter, some fans wondered if Luca could hold out until he could meet Michael in person.
Uncertain: On Twitter, some fans wondered if Luca could hold out until he could meet Michael in person
One person wrote: ‘THE ONLY REASON GEMMA AND LUCA STILL GO IS BECAUSE HE DID NOT MEET MICHEAL OWEN IN THE MEAT.’
Someone else posted: ‘Luca just wants to meet Michael Owen, he’s not even interested in Gemma.’
While football expert Michael decided not to visit Gemma at the Love Island villa for the Meet the Parents episode of this series, her mother Louise flew to Mallorca to see her daughter.
Joking about: Laura referred to the comparisons between Luca and Michael and joked, “Was it like looking at yourself in the future?”
Clumsy: Laura laughed: “They say we all have that complex where you go for one of your parents!”
As they sat down to chat, Louise told Gemma that people had compared Luca to her father while she was on the show, saying that Luca looked like a younger version of the former England striker.
It comes after Luca admitted she had an argument at the Love Island reunion while they were heading home from Elstree Studios.
According to the Liverpool Echo, Luca made a telling comment to a photographer waiting outside the venue who saw some tension between the pair.
The photographer said to Luca, “You’ve got your hands full there!”
Luca is said to have replied: ‘Oh not mate! She’s got the right bump on me!’
MailOnline reached out to representatives for Luca and Gemma for comment.
Visitor: While Michael decided not to visit Gemma at the Love Island villa for the Meet the Parents episode of this series, her mother Louise flew to Mallorca to see her daughter
Proud Parents: Louise, referring to Michael, told Gemma, ‘Honestly, he’s really proud of you, really proud’ before revealing that people had compared the looks of Luca and Michael
Luca and Gemma both looked very serious after filming the pre-recorded episode on Thursday, despite arriving in good spirits.
Brighton resident Luca looked demure as he covered his mouth as he sat next to Gemma in a car on the way home from the reunion.
The pair sparked speculation that the tension between them was tense when Gemma’s social media account managers failed to post any reference to Luca ahead of Monday’s final.
After Gemma and Luca’s second place finish, Luca’s family was quick to congratulate the couple by posting a photo of them together with a gushing caption.
Fall out? It comes after Luca admitted to an argument at the Love Island reunion as they headed home from Elstree Studios
It read: ‘Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts for all the support you’ve shown this beautiful couple. So excited to keep watching your trip from the outside. You really won by finding each other.’
This was in stark contrast to Gemma’s Instagram, which conspicuously only posted solo photos of the brunette beauty leading up to and after the finale, with beau Luca noticeably absent.
Sharing a solo photo of Gemma dressed in a nude ruffled dress, her loved ones captioned it: ‘Words cannot describe how proud we are all of Gemma.’
“She has shown the nation how mature, honest and stylish she really is. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the love and support… Gemma will be SO overwhelmed.
“We’re now giving this back to Gemma… We’ve enjoyed managing her account and being a part of her @loveisland journey. We can’t wait to see what the future holds.’
Eagle-eyed home fans were quick to notice, suggesting on Twitter that Gemma’s family wasn’t too fond of Luca and that they were doing damage control to protect Gemma’s brand.
Happy: The pair appeared in good spirits before heading home, with Gemma posting beloved photos from the filming on Instagram