TV & Showbiz Features

WHEN Gemma Owen returned to our screens in her family’s new reality show, she was hoping viewers would see a different side to her.

But while the 23-year-old has swapped Love Island bikinis for tweed jackets and early mornings at the stables, her latest career move has delivered a rather less glamorous reality.

Gemma has applied to have her clothing firm G R O Clothing struck off the company register, with the latest accounts showing the business is £10,000 in debt.

The application was submitted on Wednesday, with Gemma and fellow TV star mum Louise listed as the directors authorising the move. The company’s latest accounts were filed on the same day.

It marks a disappointing end for a business that once looked perfectly placed to cash in on Gemma’s sudden fame.

For when she left the Love Island villa in 2022, the footballer’s daughter was tipped to become one of the show’s biggest financial success stories.

“She had the profile, the contacts and the exposure, and people expected her clothing line to take off,” one source tells me.

“To end up having to shut it down, with the company in debt, is obviously disappointing.”

Gemma launched OG Beachwear in 2020 with the help of Louise, two years before she became a household name on the ITV2 dating show.

She wore her own designs in front of millions of viewers during her time in the villa, where she finished as runner-up alongside then-boyfriend Luca Bish.

Among the products was a £72 swimsuit, while a set of bracelets was promoted to fans as the “sought-after Gemma Owen bracelets”.

It was the sort of exposure most young business owners could only dream of.

After leaving the show, Gemma signed a six-figure deal with fashion retailer PrettyLittleThing, describing it as a “dream come true”.

She also had the sort of famous surname that could open doors, with her dad Michael a former England striker who has since become a football pundit and racehorse owner.

But while Gemma’s profile continued to grow, the figures for her own clothing firm told a very different story.

After Love Island, she rebranded OG Beachwear as G R O Clothing and expanded the range to include loungewear. She even got Luca to model some of the pieces alongside her.

Yet the business appears to have struggled to turn the initial buzz into lasting sales.

Accounts filed around two years ago showed the company had made nothing in its latest financial year, following a £1,670 loss in the 12 months before.

The latest accounts show the company is £10,000 in debt.

The decision to close the business will inevitably raise questions about what happened to the fashion ambitions that once looked like a natural next step after Love Island.

A source added: “It’s embarrassing for Gemma because when she came out of Love Island, there was a real expectation that she would turn that fame into a hugely successful business.

“There’s no getting away from the fact that plenty of people who came out of Love Island alongside Gemma have gone on to build very successful careers and businesses.

“She will be aware of that, and it must be frustrating when something she put her name to hasn’t worked out as she hoped.”

And the timing is particularly awkward, as Gemma attempts to relaunch her television career in Meet the Owens, the family’s six-part Prime Video series.

The show follows her alongside Michael, Louise and her younger siblings James, Emily and Jessica, offering viewers a glimpse into their family life and their world of horses.

It is also a surprising move from Michael, 46, who has long been regarded as one of the more reserved figures in football.

Once dubbed “the most boring man in football”, the former striker has largely stayed out of the limelight since retiring from the game.

In the series, he jokes that he is now better known as a “boring p***k” or “Gemma Owen’s dad” after his eldest daughter appeared on Love Island.

But the documentary is not just about family life. Michael has revealed that he has invested between £12million and £13million into Manor House Stables, his horse racing operation in Cheshire, and admits the business still needs investors.

Accounts for his company Owen Promotions show it holds £7,219 in cash and owes £2.3million to creditors, although these are company figures and do not establish his personal wealth.

The stables themselves have assets of approximately £13.6million, but a source has claimed the business remains expensive to run, with no guarantee that the horses bought will go on to win races. Owen hasn’t commented on the claim.

For Gemma, meanwhile, the family’s return to television has brought its own mixed reception.

The star looks a world away from the fresh-faced, bikini-clad teenager who first appeared on Love Island aged 19.

Her social media is now dominated by elegant outfits, sportswear and horse-related events, with tweed jackets, cashmere knitwear and expensive jewellery replacing many of the swimwear snaps that once helped promote her business.

A source previously told The Sun: “Gemma was catapulted into the spotlight on Love Island, but her days of showing off her bikini body in public appear to be long gone.

“Nowadays, she can often be seen dressed head-to-toe in tasteful Holland Cooper outfits and expensive jewellery, which she wears at posh horse-related events.”

She has also thrown herself into equestrian pursuits, having competed in dressage since the age of 11.

In July, Gemma made her amateur jockey debut in the Magnolia Cup charity race at Goodwood, finishing fourth out of 12 after months of gruelling training.

She has spoken about wanting to continue with both dressage and racing, telling Horse & Hound magazine: “If I can do both, I will. Racing in the morning, dressage in the afternoon.”

But the demanding schedule has fuelled whispers that her family and horses leave little room for a wider social life.

One source previously said: “Family and horses are everything to Gemma, and both take up so much of her time there’s not much left over for friends who aren’t involved in horses.”

And since returning to television, she has faced a fresh wave of criticism from viewers.

One online commenter cruelly wrote: “Seen more charisma in a fly tipped mattress.”

Another claimed: “Gemma isn’t a natural onscreen with her monotone voice.”

The comments have added to the scrutiny surrounding her attempt to establish herself beyond the dating show that made her famous.

An insider says: “Gemma has had to contend with some pretty cruel comments since returning to television.

“She’s come back into the spotlight hoping people will see a different side to her, but the reaction has been mixed.

“When you’re trying to establish yourself beyond the show that made you famous, the last thing you want is for people to be questioning whether you have the personality or the business nous to succeed.

The closure of G R O Clothing does not mean Gemma has run out of commercial opportunities.

She has continued to secure brand partnerships with PrettyLittleThing, country outfitter Holland Cooper and jewellery firm Abbott Lyon, while her media work and other deals are handled through a separate company, OG Promotions.

But they do highlight the difference between the opportunities available to Gemma as an influencer and the performance of the clothing label she built around her own name.

A recognisable face can help sell a product, but turning that attention into a sustainable business is another challenge altogether.

And as Gemma focuses on horses, family life and her return to television, her fashion venture appears to have reached the end of the road.

“Gemma is at a point where she needs to work out what she really wants her career to look like,” the source says.

“She has the advantage of a recognisable name and plenty of opportunities, but she needs to find the things that genuinely work for her.”

Gemma’s representatives were contacted for comment.

IT IS two years to the day since Liam Payne’s family – and his millions of fans – had their hearts broken when the pop star plunged to his death from a third-floor balcony at the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires.

Now, a bombshell update has ripped through the investigation. Argentinian businessman Rogelio ‘Roger’ Nores, 38, once facing the terrifying prospect of prison for negligent homicide, has been officially cleared of all criminal liability. Two hotel workers have also walked free.

Meanwhile, two defendants charged with selling cocaine to Liam await their fate, but case sources now think a full trial over his death will never take place.

For Liam’s grieving family and millions of devoted fans, Roger being cleared does not bring closure.

It simply shines a spotlight on the agonising black holes still in the official narrative as a UK inquest into Liam’s death is still ongoing, despite a series of setbacks. 

Here are the chilling questions that still demand answers:

Who really delivered the fatal dose?

While Nores and two hotel workers, Gilda Martin and Esteban Grassi, have had manslaughter charges dropped, the drug trail hasn’t gone cold. Toxicology reports confirmed a lethal cocktail of “alcohol, cocaine, and a prescription antidepressant” in Liam’s system.

Two men, Ezequiel Pereya, 22, and Braian Paiz, 26, are currently languishing in an Argentine jail awaiting trial, accused of selling Liam the narcotics. 

Braian Paiz was working at a high end restaurant in Buenos Aires when he first met the One Direction singer on October 2, 2024. 

He has claimed as Liam was leaving he asked the starstruck waiter if he had any cocaine and the pair exchanged Instagram handles. 

Over a week later Liam, who was still in the Argentine capital, contacted him to ask for drugs. 

Braian admitted in his witness statement: “He ended up convincing me to get [drugs] for him. And, in all honesty, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to see him again. That’s why I agreed to do it.”

In a later newspaper interview, he said: “I’ve suffered so much psychological damage due to all this and the social condemnation, and of course I’m worried now I might be in prison for many years. But I don’t regret meeting Liam. I was a fan.”

But it has become clear Liam was getting drugs from many sources, so the question remains: how did a global superstar, supposedly in a secure VIP suite, become a target for local dealers? Was there a wider network exploiting vulnerable guests at the Casa Sur?

When will the trial of the two accused take place? 

The two defendants charged with selling cocaine to Liam in the lead up to his death are still awaiting trial. 

Restaurant waiter Braian Nahuel Paiz, 26, and hotel worker Ezequiel David Pereyra, 22, served over one year in police precincts and in a federal prison until they were released in March.

The Sun understands that there have been negotiations for a plea deal for the two young men. 

That could mean that a full trial over Liam’s death never takes place.

The pair are accused of selling drugs to Liam but if the plea deal goes ahead that charge could be reduced to supply of drugs for free, which carries a maximum sentence of six months.  

According to legal experts, given the pair have no prior criminal convictions, the sentence would already be covered by time served. 

Pereyra’s defense attorney, Augusto Maria Cassiau, told The New York Post: “We would be inclined to accept the offer.”

What part will Cheryl play in the ongoing investigation? 

Another heartbreaking chapter involves Cheryl, who shares 9-year-old son, Bear, with Liam.

Since Liam tragically passed away without leaving a will, his entire £25.7 million estate will eventually pass to his young son.

In May 2025, Cheryl was officially named as a co-administrator of his massive estate alongside attorney Richard Mark Bray. 

However, her power is strictly administrative. She and Bray can “manage the money” but cannot distribute it without further legal authority. 

Shortly after Liam’s passing, Cheryl issued a searing statement condemning the “abhorrent reports and media exploitation” surrounding his death, begging for Liam to be given “the little dignity he has left”. 

Cheryl is a plaintiff, on behalf of their son Bear, in the case against the waiter and the hotel worker, who are charged with supplying Liam drugs.

The Sun understands that she could ultimately have the last say over any plea deal agreed with the Argentine authorities – but she, or her lawyers, have so far not objected to the rulings in Roger’s favour. 

Now as the inquest stalls, how much longer will Cheryl and Bear have to wait for the final legal chapter to close?

What happened on the balcony? 

The most haunting mystery of all. We know Liam fell from the third floor of the hotel, where he was staying in Room 10. 

But the moments leading up to that fatal plunge are still shrouded in silence. The UK coroner, Crispin Butler, has been desperately chasing “eyewitness statements” from Argentina since late 2025. 

Following his death, it was reported that Liam jumped off his balcony, perhaps trying to reach the swimming pool below that it was claimed he had been denied access to because of his intoxicated state. 

But it later became clear he had fallen backwards, possibly after falling unconscious, causing unsurvivable injuries to his head and dying instantly.

The toxicology report read: “Due to the position in which the body was found and the injuries from the fall, it is presumed that Payne did not adopt a reflexive posture to protect himself and may have fallen in a state of semi or total unconsciousness.”

After forensic experts studied the singer’s hands, they did not find any defensive injuries, which led them to believe that “the injuries on the body were vital and produced at the same time, and that no injuries were observed that could suggest the intervention of third parties”.

Are there witnesses who saw the build-up? Were there warning signs ignored by hotel management before he stepped onto the balcony? And why did they let him back into his room? 

Why are the Argentine authorities not working more closely with their UK counterparts? 

For Liam’s family, the wait for justice is becoming a cruel joke. 

The UK inquest has been delayed repeatedly, first pushed to May 2026, and now stalled again because British coroners are still waiting on fully translated case files and evidence disclosures from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Coroner Crispin Butler told a pre-inquest hearing there had been no updates since a last review in January 2025, when he said he would seek full reports and eyewitness statements before a final inquest.

He added: “We have had no further disclosure of evidence from Argentina via the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.”

It has been 24 months. Why are the Argentine authorities dragging their heels in handing over the final, unredacted timeline?