A REALITY TV star has spoken for the first time about how England football hero Michael Owen told her his marriage was a “sham” — as he asked her for nude pictures.

Owen, 42, was at the centre of a scandal last year over his messages to ex-Big Brother contestant Rebecca Jane, 37.

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She now says he said he was in a marriage of convenience with childhood sweetheart Louise Bonsall and “keeping up appearances”.

But she also revealed she felt 5ft 8ins Owen was too short for her.

Speaking in detail for the first time about the messages, Rebecca — a regular on ITV’s This Morning and GMB — said she felt like she was messaging a single man after the BT Sport pundit’s assurances.

Rebecca, who runs a mental health business, said: “The story that Michael span me was that they were not really married and it was a sham.

“He said it was a marriage of convenience for the sake of appearances and to keep their racehorse business going.

“He told me his marriage was over, it was all a big façade and he wasn’t really married any more.

“I should have perhaps investigated his situation a bit more and been more cautious — but I took him at face value.