Michael Owen Needed Counselling After Becoming Jealous Of Gemma And His Wife

Michael Owen once said he needed to attend counselling after becoming jealous of daughter Gemma's relationship with her mother Louise.

The former England international previously admitted to suffering from mental health issues after retiring from football in 2013.

He claims he was 'intentionally hard' on childhood sweetheart Louise about certain subjects, and one of those was current Love Island star Gemma.

Owen penned in his 2020 autobiography 'Reboot' per the Mirror: "To my surprise, I found myself standing at a figurative cliff edge in 2014.

"A lifetime of that certain type of mentality, of behaviour, had led me to a point where I had to seek professional help...

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"For years, because of my own inner demons, I was intentionally really hard on Louise about subjects that I knew would push her buttons most — not least her close relationship with our daughter Gemma."

Owen made his debut for Liverpool at the age of 17 and featured regularly, despite only being a teenager.

He had the world at his feet as a player and bought into the lifestyle fully.

The 42-year-old knew he had to change once he hung up his boots though.

"Let me be very clear and say that none of this was in any way a reflection on how I felt about either Gemma or Louise. I love them both with all of me," he continued.

"I’d take everything out on Louise, though. I’d accuse her of spending all her time with her eldest and ignoring the other kids. It wasn’t even true."

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Channel 4 pundit Owen has found himself back in the limelight this month with 19-year-old Gemma appearing on the newest season on Love Island.

The former Manchester United striker said it was every father's 'worst nightmare' before the show started and was unaware of what actually happened on the show.

He's since defended Gemma for going on the show and compared it to his own career.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, he said: "Also, she’s a mature 19. She’s a bit like me in that regard.

"I was playing for Liverpool when I was 17, and having to make friends with 23, 24, 25-year-olds.

"The bottom line is, she’s an adult and I have to trust her to make sensible decisions."

Topics: Michael Owen

Daniel Marland

Daniel is a social editor for SPORTbible after moving from the writing team. Nearly scored past Stormzy at Old Trafford once.

@DanMarland_