Louise Bonsall is famous for being the wife of retired English footballer, Michael Owen. She is a horse lover and mother who prefers to keep her life away from the prying eyes of the public. The British-born met the footballer at a very young age and the duo has been married since 2005. Their marriage has produced four children, including reality TV star, Gemma Rose.
Her husband was introduced to football by his father and had risen to play for some of the top clubs in the industry. He won several awards for his brilliant play. He is retired and currently works as a sports pundit and commentator.
10 Interesting Facts about Louise Bonsall
1. The Celebrity’s Wife Was Born on Valentine’s Day
Louise Bonsall was born on February 14. Although the year of her birth is not known, she is speculated to be in her 40s. She was born in Wales, England.
Louise attended Rector Drew Primary School, Hawarden, Flintshire, in North Wales. Subsequently, she attended Deeside College, Clwyd, where she obtained a GNVQ in Business and Finance. She then secured employment at MBNA, a credit card company in England.
2. She Met Her husband Michael Owen While She Was Still in Primary School
Louise met her husband, long before he became the famous footballer we know and love. The duo met at Rector Drew Primary School, Hawarden, where they were both students and became childhood sweethearts.
By the time they were 17, they were so in love. Their love blossomed and on Valentine’s Day of 2004 which was also Louise’s birthday, Mike proposed.
3. Louise Got Married in 2005, a Year after She Got Engaged
Louise initially wanted to get married in the home she shared with her Fiancé, as they wanted it very private. However, due to regulations and restrictions, they decided against it. They chose to get married in a private ceremony at Carden Park Hotel, in Chester. Subsequently, they rented out a whole street to celebrate their union with a wedding reception for their family and friends.
Before they got married, the couple had already welcomed their first child, Gemma Rose was born in May 2003. In February 2006, they welcomed their second child, James, and subsequently, Emily May and Jessica, respectively born in October 2007 and February 2010.
4. Louise Bonsall Had a Major Horse-riding Accident
The horse lover developed her love for horses at the tender age of 7. Her first horse-riding accident was when she was 15 years old. She fell from a horse and broke her femur. It caused her to temporarily give up horseriding as a teenager.
Again in 2004, she was involved in a horrific accident while riding a horse named Isobelle. Louise fell off of Isobelle after it reared up, and unseated her. The horse lost balance and landed on top of her.
As a result, she broke her back in 2 places, and her hip and pelvis in 5 places. She has to spend a couple of weeks at the Countess of Chester Hospital, where she recovered. Upon her recovery, she shifted focus from riding to rehabilitating horses. She became the patron of Thoroughbred Rehabilitation Center, a center that focuses on rehabilitating, retraining, and rehoming racehorses.
5. She Lives in a House Big Enough for 12 Horses
Louise Bonsall and her husband purchased their £4 million mansion in 2001. It is known as Lower Soughton Hall and sits on 42 acres of land. The mansion has wooden floors, an ornate fireplace, high ceilings, and a huge open-plan balcony.
It has a swimming pool with a waterfall. The fields of the mansion are big enough to house up to 12 horses. It also has a huge cinema, a games room, and a trophy room for her husband’s trophies.
6. Her Husband Won the Biggest Football Award in the World
Louise’s husband, Michael James Owen is an English former professional footballer who was born on December 14, 1979. He was introduced to football at the age of seven, by his father, Terry Owen, who was also a footballer at the time.
He began his career at the age of 8 after he was selected to play in the Deeside Area Primary School’s Under-11 team. By age 9, he was made the team’s captain and by the age of 10, some of the nation’s leading scouts were monitoring his progress.
From there, his career continued to grow and he played for some of the leading clubs in the country, including Liverpool, Real Madrid, New Castle United, and Manchester United.
In 2001, while playing for Liverpool FC, he beat other contenders to win the Ballon d’Or, an annual football award presented by a French news magazine since 1956. He is currently a sports pundit and commentator.
7. The Celebrity’s Wife Has Refused to Join Reality TV
It is a normal thing for celebrity wives to be keen on being part of a reality TV show, especially one like The Real Housewives, in a bid to show off their wealth and affluence. However, that is not the case with Louise.
It has been reported that the producers of The Real Housewives of Cheshire have tried to convince the footballer’s wife to join the show but she has continually refused. However, the ITV producers are hopeful that she will come around soon, seeing that her daughter has joined reality TV too.
8. Louise Bonsall’s Daughter Is a Reality TV star
Unlike her mother who refused to go into reality TV, The horse lover’s first daughter, Gemma Rose, has chosen the path. The 21-year-old made her reality TV debut in the 8th season of Love Island, which came o screens on June 9, 2022. She joined the show after her previous relationship did not work out. Coming on the show, she hoped to find love and have so much fun.
Gemma is also a horse lover like her mother. She works as an International dressage rider, which is a form of horse riding done during an exhibition. It is an art practiced solely for the sake of mastery. She is also an entrepreneur and the founder of OG Beach wear, a beachwear clothing line. Similarly, she is an ambassador for different brands, including Pretty Little Thing.
9. Her Son Is Clinically Blind
Louise’s second child and only son, James, was diagnosed with Stargardt disease. It is a rare genetic eye disease that occurs when a fatty material buildup in the part of the retina that is needed for sharp vision, called the macula.
The disease causes the degeneration of the retina which leads to loss of vision during childhood or adolescent years. Although there is no cure for the disease, it is rare for people diagnosed with it to go completely blind. For this reason, his father revealed he will not be able to play football.
See Also: Maureen Dean Is John Dean’s Wife: Where Is She Today?
10. Louise Bonsall’s Husband was Involved in a “Nude” Scandal
In 2021, Michael, Louise’s husband was caught in the middle of a scandal that involved naked pictures. It was reported that he requested nude pictures from ex-Big Brother Star, Rebecca Jane, after sending a string of X-rated messages and claiming he wanted to judge their suitability for social media.
After sending the pictures, Owen asked for more, saying he was on a long and boring trip to London and he needed something to do. Subsequently, he asked if her breast were real or falsies. He later suggested they meet up at the races.
Louise is a private and quiet person. She has not commented on the issue as she might want to resolve her family problems away from the media, but it seems everything has gone back to normal between the couple.
Unlike most Wags, The celebrity wife leads a private life away from the media while being a dutiful wife to her husband and a present mother to her four children. Hopefully, in the nearest future, we will get to see her on our screens as part of The Real Housewives enterprise or another reality TV show, and get to know more about her life as a celebrity wife and mother.
