Gemma Owen’s brother James has revealed he is ‘heartbroken’ that he never made it as a footballer, in the footsteps of his famous father, Michael Owen.
James, 17, who was diagnosed with a rare eye condition called Stargardt disease, was considered clinically blind by age 13.
The Love Island star, 20, made an appearance on Loose Women with James to raise awareness of the disease and shared how ‘protective’ she become of her brother.
Speaking candidly about his disability, James admitted that his ‘dreams were crushed’, because of his eye condition.
He said: ‘I get asked all the time “do I play football” and its heart-breaking because when I was younger I dreamed of being a footballer like my dad because he was my inspiration. But I have found new passions and I am a lot happier now.’
Sad: Gemma Owen’s brother James, 17, has revealed he is ‘heartbroken’ that he never made it as a footballer during an appearance on Loose Women on Monday
‘Heartbroken’: Speaking candidly about his disability, James admitted that his ‘dreams were crushed’, because he couldn’t follow in the footsteps of his footballer father Michael (pictured)
Candid: James, who was diagnosed with a rare eye condition called Stargardt disease, was considered clinically blind by age 13
Gemma explained she became very ‘protective’ over James when he was first diagnosed and discussed what it was like for the whole family.
She added: ‘I think at the start it was a little bit of a struggle, he had a few early years quite frustrated but he got to grips with it and is embracing it now.
‘I am the protective big sister and seeing his mates having fun and games with him, I did get protective some times.’
James first realised something was wrong with his eyesight when he struggled to see the whiteboard at school.
Sitting in the audience, Gemma and James’ mum Louise discussed how it was from a mothers perspective and said ‘she didn’t cope very well’.
She added: ‘To begin with, my husband’s [Michael] very optimistic. The glass is half always half full.
‘But for me, the thought of there not being any treatment at the moment or any cure was quite hard to deal with and also knowing that progressively the condition was going to get worse.’
In 2019 former footballer Michael spoke for the first time of his son’s condition and said how he would ‘never’ be a footballer.
Opening up: The Love Island star, 20, made an appearance on Loose Women with James to raise awareness of the disease and share how ‘protective’ she become of her brother
Rare condition: Speaking candidly about his disability, James admitted that his ‘dreams were crushed’, because of his eye condition
Optimistic: He said: ‘I get asked all the time “do I play football” and its heart-breaking because when I was younger I dreamed of being a footballer like my dad because he was my inspiration’
Big sis: Gemma explained she became very ‘protective’ over James when he was first diagnosed and discussed what it was like for the whole family
Family: In the audience, Gemma and James’ mum Louise discussed how it was from a mothers perspective and said ‘she didn’t cope very well’ (pictured with Michael, Gemma and James)
Loving: Gemma has three siblings Emily May, 14, Jessica, 12, and James (pictured with parents Louise and Michael)
Speaking to The Times, he said: ‘He will never be a footballer. My son’s got an eye condition. I’ve never said this. I don’t want a big headline. Clinically, he’s blind. He’s got Stargardt disease, a degeneration of his retina.
‘I used to go and watch him and b*****k him about his positioning. He can’t see the ball until it’s five yards away. As much as every father wants their son to play, it is almost a relief to me.’
The news comes after it was revealed Gemma is reportedly dating boxing legend Naseem Hamed’s son Aadam.
The influencer is said to have been spotted on a date with the 23-year-old, who is a boxer like his dad.
A source told the Daily Star: ‘They recently followed each other on Instagram and fans of both have noticed that it is them together.
‘Gemma was just with polo player Tommy Severn in Spain at the start of last month. Now she has moved on to Prince Naseem’s son.’
It’s not known how long the pair have been dating but they both recently posted photos from the Orelle in Birmingham.
MailOnline has contacted representatives of Gemma Owen at the time for comment.
New romance: It comes after Gemma is reportedly dating boxing legend Naseem Hamed’s son Aadam
Fling: The former Love Island star, 20, is said to have been spotted on a date with the 23-year-old, who is a boxer like his dad (pictured)
No romance: It was reported in August that Gemma was growing close to sportsman Tommy Severn who is from a famous polo playing family (Tommy, left, and Prince William, right, pictured in 2016)
It comes after Gemma was previously rumoured to be getting close to sportsman Tommy Severn who is from a famous polo playing family.
Tommy played the sport against Prince William in 2016 at Cheltenham College and insiders revealed Gemma watched him play polo during a recent trip to Ibiza.
However, in an Instagram Q&A in August, the star insisted: ‘Yes I’m single! So many questions on this. I do not have a boyfriend.’
Gemma and her ex Luca split last year after they missed out on being crowned winners of their series of Love Island.
End of the road: Gemma and her ex Luca Bish split last year after they missed out on being crowned winners of their series of Love Island (pictured for the show in August last year)
