Gemma Owen has revealed her Love Island boyfriend Luca Bish is a hit with dad Michael – and has confirmed she’s in talks for her own TV show.
The PrettyLittleThing ambassador, 19, told Web in her first interview since leaving the ITV2 mansion that Luca, 23, has quickly become part of the family.
Gemma, who is stunning in a new shoot to launch her first edit with PLT, teased that after weeks of speculation that TV bosses have signed her for a reality series, “something very different is in the pipeline”.
‘He fits in quite well’: Gemma Owen has revealed her Love Island boyfriend Luca Bish is a hit with dad Michael – and has confirmed she’s in talks for her own TV show
Speaking to Web from Seville, the Love Island runner-up said: “Luca is a pretty good fit and he also gets along with my siblings, mum and dad.
“His family is also very nice – I get along with everyone very well and have a good relationship with his sister.
“I’ve really enjoyed spending time with them in Brighton when I can and the same goes when he comes to Cheshire.
“In terms of my relationship and Luca – everything is going very well. Luckily we can spend time together so the relationship is going really well and it’s all positive.
‘It’s going very well’: The PrettyLittleThing ambassador told Web in her first interview since leaving the ITV2 mansion that Luca has quickly become part of the family
While their romance outside the villa is proving to be a success, Gemma says she won’t be moving in with Luca any time soon like her Love Island co-stars Tasha Ghouri, 24, and Andrew Le Page, 27, have.
She said: “We don’t have any plans to move in together yet.
“I’m a housemaid, it’s all there, I’m family oriented and I’m young.
“For the immediate future, I’m happy with where I am and with the setup that Luca and I have.
“We’re all over the place right now, when I’m working in London we hang out together and when we have a weekend off he comes over to Cheshire to be with the horses. We make it work around our busy schedules.
“We’ll see how it goes, we’ll have a nice couple of holidays – no pressure.”
‘I’m happy where I am’: While their romance outside the villa is proving to be a success, Gemma says she won’t be moving in with Luca anytime soon
Unlike many Love Island stars before them, Gemma and Luca, who were runners-up to Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, 28, and Davide Sanclimenti, 27, resisted making their relationship official at the villa.
Gemma told Luca he needed to meet her family before they bond because the opinion of her father, former England striker Michael, and her mother Louise is very important.
The fishmonger eventually sealed the deal by treating Gemma to a £6,500 Cartier bracelet, a garden of red roses and a balloon display that read “Will you be my girlfriend?”
While some fans felt the romantic gesture was overkill, Gemma said Luca had no choice but to rise to the challenge.
She said: “I felt for Luca because there had been so many build-ups because on Love Island I was really excited for us to come out and I feel like we’ve waited enough time.
“We wanted to make sure the relationship worked. I feel like a big thing has been made of it.
“He felt a little pressured but you can’t blame him for the effort he put in. He managed to bless him. There were flowers, roses and the setup was amazing.”
Gemma, who landed a huge six-figure deal with PrettyLittleThing after becoming the first Love Island star since Molly-Mae Hague, 23, to impress CEO Umar Kamani, 34, was also rumored to be making her own TV show .
The team’s GB dressage champion hinted that a series is in the works – and it could be related to her love of horses.
She said: “We have something very different in the pipeline that I’m really excited to start working on. I can’t reveal too much.”
Before spending eight weeks on our screens this summer and amassing a whopping 2.1million fan base, Gemma said she didn’t want to be known as “another rich footballer’s kid”.
Gemma told Web in March that trolls were sending her “nasty messages” over her belief that she used her father’s money to start swimwear brand OG Beachwear.
‘It’s all positive’: Gemma and Luca have missed out on becoming Love Island champions for Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and Davide Sanclimenti after meeting on the dating series this summer
The cruel messages haven’t stopped, and Gemma admits she still has a long way to go before she breaks the stigma.
She said: “I still think it’s there if I’m completely honest.
“I’m starting to pull away from it, and that’s what I wanted to do.
“As much as I respect my parents and my father, I don’t want to be called just that. I want a life of my own.
“Love Island was a great opportunity to put my personality out there and I did that and I was completely true to myself and I treated things there like I did out there.”
Despite growing up with Liverpool star Michael as a father, Gemma says she’s still “getting used to it all” after striking lucrative deals with multiple brands.
‘I want a life of my own:’ Gemma wanted to clear up misconceptions about famous offspring during her time at the Love Island villa – but says the stigma is still there (pictured with dad Michael)
She had another pinch-me moment last week when she jetted down to Saville to star in her first PrettyLittleThing photoshoot, the Gemma Owen Edit.
The new 48-piece collection, available online from 10am Monday, ranges from £10 to £75 – and Gemma says there’s plenty to choose from.
Gemma said: “The finish is classy, elegant and has something for everyone. I love every outfit, every part. I’m really happy with it. This is an edit due to time constraints, but the next drop will be the collection.
“There’s a lovely cream blazer that I wore as a dress with bike shorts and photographed with some knee high boots – it was amazing. I also love this olive green two piece but everything is perfect for fall winter.”
The star also says she’s motivated by PrettyLittleThing creative director Molly-Mae, who announced last week that she’s expecting her first baby with Love Island partner Tommy Fury, 23.
She added: “Molly-Mae is obviously a huge inspiration to a lot of girls, she’s also a good role model on the business side and a lot of people, including me, respect her.
“It’s definitely nice to follow in their footsteps. We haven’t met yet – everything has been so busy and what with her news with the baby – it’s amazing but we have yet to chat.