Michael Owen’s children are Gemma, James, Emily, and Jessica. He shares all four with his wife Louise. Maybe you found this page after watching Gemma on Love Island. Maybe you heard James talk about losing his sight. Or maybe you just saw the trailer for the family’s new Prime Video show. Either way here’s the full accurate picture of Michael Owen children — who they are, what they do and what’s happening with each of them right now.
How Many Children Does Michael Owen Have?
Michael Owen and his wife Louise Bonsall have four children together:
- Gemma Owen — eldest daughter. Born 1 May 2003.
- James Owen — son. Born 2006.
- Emily Owen — daughter.
- Jessica Owen — youngest daughter.
All four grew up largely out of the spotlight at the family’s Cheshire home. Then Gemma’s appearance on Love Island in 2022 pulled the whole family into public view. In 2026 all four are featured together for the first time in the Prime Video docuseries Meet the Owens.
Gemma Owen: From Love Island Runner-Up to Businesswoman
Gemma Rose Owen is Michael and Louise’s eldest child. She was born on 1 May 2003 in Chester. She’s the Owen sibling most people already recognise. But her story goes well beyond reality TV.
Love Island and Life After the Villa
Gemma appeared on series 8 of Love Island in 2022 at age 19. She coupled up with fishmonger Luca Bish. The pair made it all the way to the final and finished as runners-up behind winners Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and Davide Sanclimenti. That single series turned Gemma from “Michael Owen’s daughter” into a public figure in her own right. She’s since appeared on Loose Women and the celebrity edition of Deal or No Deal.
A Serious Dressage Career, Not Just a TV Career
What often gets lost in the Love Island headlines is that Gemma is a genuine competitive athlete. She’s an international dressage rider who represented Great Britain at junior level including the 2021 European Championships. Riding has been part of her life since childhood. It’s shaped heavily by her mother Louise’s own equestrian background.
Business Ventures and Brand Deals
Gemma launched her own swimwear label OG Beachwear while still a teenager. She’s since built a portfolio of ambassador roles with brands like Boodles jewellery and Holland Cooper Equestrian. She’s a regular at high-profile events like Royal Ascot and the Longines Global Champions Tour and blends her equestrian world with fashion and public appearances.
James Owen: Life With Stargardt Disease
James Owen was born in 2006 and is Michael and Louise’s only son. His story is the most emotionally significant one in the family’s recent public life.
What Is Stargardt Disease?
James was diagnosed with Stargardt disease at age eight. It’s a rare inherited genetic eye condition that damages the retina’s central vision cells. It usually develops before the age of 20 and affects roughly 1 in 8,000 to 10,000 people. It causes progressive loss of detailed and colour vision and currently has no cure or treatment. Management is limited to UV-protective eyewear and ongoing research including stem cell studies.
Giving Up a Football Career He Never Chose to Leave
As a young boy James was a promising footballer following in his father’s footsteps. As Stargardt disease progressed he lost that path entirely and is now clinically blind. Michael has spoken candidly about this — including in a BBC Access All podcast interview and on Good Morning Britain — about the guilt he’s carried as a parent. At one point he said he’d swap eyes with his son if he could.
Turning a Difficult Diagnosis Into Advocacy
Rather than staying private about it Michael and James have used their platform to raise awareness of Stargardt disease. They appeared together in the documentary Football Is for Everyone which follows James training with England’s visually impaired futsal squad. James has said he wants to find a role within the family’s horse racing business going forward. It’s a way of staying close to sport even though playing professionally is no longer an option.
Emily Owen: Aiming to Be the First Owen at University
Emily is the third of Michael and Louise’s children and is currently 18. Where her older sister Gemma took the reality TV and business route Emily is charting a more academic path. She’s working toward becoming the first member of the Owen family to attend university — a milestone the family has spoken about with real pride heading into 2026.
Jessica Owen: The Family’s Rising Showjumper
Jessica is the youngest of the four Owen children. Like her mother and older sister Gemma she’s grown up around horses at the family’s Cheshire stables. But her focus is showjumping rather than dressage. Jessica has set her sights on eventually competing at Olympic level and is carrying the family’s equestrian tradition into a second generation.
Louise Owen (Bonsall): The Mother Behind the Family
Louise Bonsall met Michael when they were teenagers at Hawarden High School in Flintshire Wales. The couple got engaged in 2004 and married in 2005. Louise is a lifelong equestrian and founded Manor House Stables in Cheshire in 2007. Her passion for horses — including rescuing retired racehorses — has clearly filtered down to Gemma and Jessica in particular.
The Owen Family Business: Manor House Stables
Since retiring from football Michael has built a full-scale horse racing operation around Manor House Stables. The family says it now runs around 140 horses. It’s become the family’s shared project as much as a business. Louise has been blunt about it saying the business “has to stand on its own two feet” and that keeping it competitive at major racing events gets harder every year. It’s also where James hopes to build his post-football career and where Gemma continues to train.
Meet the Owens: The Family’s 2026 Prime Video Documentary
In 2026 Michael Louise Gemma James Emily and Jessica all feature together in Meet the Owens. It’s a six-part Prime Video docuseries following a year in the family’s life. The show centres on two things happening at once: the pressure of keeping the racing business competitive and the more personal shift of the couple becoming empty nesters. Each of the four children is pursuing a very different future — Gemma in racing and business, James in the family business, Emily toward university and Jessica toward Olympic showjumping ambitions.
FAQs
How many children does Michael Owen have?
Four. Gemma, James, Emily and Jessica — with his wife Louise.
What is wrong with Michael Owen’s son’s eyes?
James Owen has Stargardt disease. It’s a rare inherited eye condition that has left him clinically blind. He was diagnosed at age eight.
Is Gemma Owen Michael Owen’s daughter?
Yes. Gemma Owen — the Love Island 2022 runner-up — is Michael and Louise Owen’s eldest child.
Does Michael Owen have any children who play football?
No. None of Michael Owen’s children have pursued professional football. His son James had ambitions to but stopped after his eye condition progressed. The family’s main shared interest is horse racing and equestrian sport instead.
What does Michael Owen’s family do together now?
Michael and Louise run Manor House Stables — a large horse racing operation in Cheshire with around 140 horses. The whole family including all four children is featured together in the 2026 Prime Video series Meet the Owens.
Final Thoughts
Michael Owen children have grown into four very different people. Gemma turned a Love Island run into a real career built on dressage and business. James has faced something no parent wants for their child and turned it into a platform for awareness instead of staying quiet about it. Emily is chasing a first for the family. Jessica is chasing an Olympic dream on horseback.
That’s really what makes the Owen family worth following in 2026. It’s not just a footballer’s surname attached to his kids. It’s four separate stories that happen to share the same last name and the same stable yard in Cheshire. Meet the Owens is simply the first time all of it gets told at once.
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