Total Pro Sports
At times, love lessons come from the unlikeliest of places. For Olivia Dunne, it wasn’t a self-help book or a relationship podcast. It was Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.
The LSU gymnastics star turned social-media powerhouse admitted she has been watching how the singer and NFL tight end navigate their high-profile relationship. Dunne, who has been dating Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes since their LSU days, says she’s picked up a few tips on handling life with so much media attention.
That perspective comes after a journey where she has already faced plenty of obstacles, from viral fame to the injury that once shattered Olivia Dunne’s Olympic dream.
“Taylor has her boyfriend that’s a professional athlete and my boyfriend is a professional athlete as well,” Dunne told Page Six. “And she has her own success and I have my own success, so I try to look at her perspective on things and how she handles criticism.”
Dunne explained that the hardest part of dating an athlete comes with constant travel and the scrutiny of living publicly. Watching Swift manage the pressure, she said, has given her perspective. “I think that she takes the heat a lot worse than I do, because, I mean, the bigger you are, the more people you have trying to tear you down,” Dunne said. “It just really resonated with me.”
The gymnast-turned-influencer knows what it means to be under a microscope. From her LSU career to her online presence, she has often been a trending topic, and this isn’t new.
Her relationship with Skenes, meanwhile, has become part of her brand. The two met while starring for LSU, and both won national championships in their sports. Skenes now pitches for the Pirates, and Olivia Dunne still draws millions of followers who tune in for every update, from baseball outings to her behind-the-scenes life.
She also hasn’t shied away from poking fun at herself. Whether she’s posting bubble bath ads from the 50-yard line of the Rose Bowl or sharing throwback photos, she continues to blend humor with the challenges of being in the public eye. If her Swift-inspired approach is any sign, she’s figuring out how to keep it light even when the attention isn’t.
