It wasn’t long before the penny dropped with Gemma Owen and Jack Keating before realizing they were both offspring of famous parents.
Sitting by the pool, social media manager Jack (23) told Gemma about his family and how his mum Yvonne and his sister were big fans of show jumping.
When asked what his father did for a living, Jack took the opposite approach to Gemma, who for some time hid the fact that she had a famous father.
He was more than happy to learn that his father is a famous singer who was once in Boyzone.
It might not be a band she was familiar with, considering they started in 1993, 10 years before Gemma (19) was born.
But the showbiz background certainly gives them a common bond, and he went on to share how he now lives in London with his father and his family.
“It’s cool, it’s bad… it was a fun time for me. I got to do some great things, see some great people. I am definitely blessed,” he said.
While there were rumors that his Dancing with the stars sister Missy Keating could be considered an Islander, his entrance into Casa Amor caused quite a stir on social media.
Many were worried about his light Irish skin and how it would feel under the scorching Spanish sun, but so far, sun worries aside, he appears calm and friendly.
Gemma Owen’s father, Michael Owen, was once a world-famous footballer, playing for clubs such as Liverpool, Real Madrid and the England national team. Photo: ITV
ITV
So who is Jack Keating and what does he hope to achieve by being in the reality TV spotlight?
Born on March 15, 1999 as the first child of Yvonne and Ronan, his father was just 22 when he was born and was already a big star as the frontman of a hit band.
The boyband had sold more than 20 million records to date and had four UK No.1 hits before breaking up the same year Jack was born.
Jack grew up in the leafy northern suburb of Malahide, Co Dublin, with his model sister Missy (21) and Ali (16), who was a child actor.
His mother, Yvonne, was one of the country’s top models, while his father pursued a career as a solo singer.
The couple split in 2011 and his father remarried Storm Uhtrica, now Storm Keating, with whom he has two children, Cooper (5) and Coco (2).
A former student at the prestigious Belvedere College, Jack excels at rugby and has also dabbled in acting, appearing in a short film Work in progress in 2009 and Freshmen in 2010.
Jack grew up surrounded by famous celebrities and watched his father perform in venues around the world, so like Jem, he is not afraid of fame.
Unlike his two sisters, he has so far stayed out of the limelight and led a relatively private life.
He has a modest 14,000 followers on Instagram, but Irish contestants tend to do very well afterwards if they can stay on the program for any length of time.
Jack said he had been single for more than four years and added that he went on the show because he was “really missing that spark that I wasn’t getting on the dating scene”.
“I think I’m quite a positive, cheerful guy, so I think it’s good to have a chat and a bit of Irish charm as well,” he said.
As for his famous father, he said that he will watch the series every night. “He’s buzzing for me, my dad and I are very close, we’re best friends,” he said.
His mum Yvonne said they were all “so proud of him and he is very brave”.
“He is a wonderful person and I am very proud of him. I will be glued to the show, she said.
