Gemma Owen reveals she has split from millionaire property tycoon heir boyfriend Red Morgan – days after sudden death rocked her family as she says ‘it’s been a pretty hard few weeks’

DAILYMAIL.COM • 2h ago

By JULIET CONWAY 23:19 07 Sep 2026, updated 09:05 08 Sep 2026

Ex-Love Island star Gemma Owen has revealed she has split from her property tycoon heir boyfriend Red Morgan after the couple realised they ‘wanted different things’.

The reality TV star, 23, quietly ended her romance with the British showjumper, 22, this summer, more than a year after the couple went public with their relationship.

Gemma, the daughter of former England footballer Michael Owen, also revealed the split came within days of the sudden and unexpected death of a close family friend.

She said the two events left her going through a ‘pretty hard few weeks, months’ as she took time away and turned to her family and friends for support.

Gemma explained in her YouTube vlog on Monday: ‘We had some really sad news of a really close family friend. He passed away really suddenly and unexpectedly.

‘And within a day or two, Red and I split up, which I’m obviously not going to go into too much detail about either of the things because they’re both personal.’

Gemma said there was no animosity between her and Red and insisted the decision to end their relationship was ‘mutual’.

She continued: ‘Red and I are on good terms. We’re friends. It was a mutual decision and ultimately we just came to a bit of a crossroads and we wanted different things out of the relationship.

‘We didn’t want to waste anyone’s time if we weren’t both sort of aligned with what we want. So yeah, that’s what’s been going on. It’s been, as you can imagine, a pretty hard few weeks, months.’

Gemma added that she had responded to the upheaval by retreating from the spotlight and spending time with those closest to her.

She said: ‘I’ve just been kind of taking a bit of time to myself, obviously with my family, with my friends, doing things that make me happy. A lot of training.’

The former Love Island finalist and Red had known one another through their shared equestrian circles before embarking on a romance.

They went Instagram official in April last year when Gemma shared photos from a family holiday to Dubai, including a picture of the pair together aboard a yacht.

Red is an accomplished showjumper who represents Great Britain and has competed internationally, while Gemma competed in dressage from a young age.

He is also the son of property tycoon Steve Morgan, the founder of housebuilding giant Redrow, whose fortune was estimated at £935million in this year’s Sunday Times Rich List.

Red began working in property after leaving school while continuing to compete in showjumping.

Speaking about balancing the two careers in 2022, he said he wanted ‘a bit of balance between the horses and a different profession’ and was unsure at the time whether he would pursue showjumping professionally.

Gemma’s relationship with Red was her most significant publicly known romance since her split from fellow Love Island star Luca Bish, 27.

She met Luca when she entered the ITV2 villa aged 19 in 2022 and the couple went on to finish runners-up behind Ekin-Su Culculoglu and Davide Sanclimenti.

However, their relationship lasted only a few months outside the villa, with Gemma announcing in November that year that they had decided to separate.

At the time she said: ‘It wasn’t an easy decision but ultimately this is what is best for us both right now.’

She has since kept her romantic life considerably more private.

Gemma is currently back on screens alongside her famous family in the six-part Prime Video docuseries Meet The Owens, which was released last month.

The series follows former Liverpool and England striker Michael, 46, his wife Louise and their four children as the family navigate life around their Cheshire home and racing business.

A major part of Gemma’s storyline centres on her decision to swap dressage for race riding as she trained to compete in the Markel Magnolia Cup at Glorious Goodwood.

She ultimately finished fourth in the charity race in July but admitted afterwards that she was ‘gutted’ with the result after feeling she had made a poor start.

Gemma said in her vlog this week that she hopes to apply for her amateur jockey licence and continue racing after becoming hooked on the sport during her training.

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