Olivia Dunne explains what she’s learned since dating MLB prospect, LSU alum Paul Skenes

Olivia Dunne is one of the faces in all of college athletics – while she calls that “rewarding,” it also can sometimes take its toll on her.

The LSU gymnast boasts millions of followers on social media, and her popularity has skyrocketed so much that security has to travel with the gymnastics team.

But now, Dunne has had a lot to deal with in her personal life, as she has begun dating former LSU pitcher and current Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Paul Skenes, who was taken with the first overall pick in this year’s MLB Draft.

The two kept their relationship under wraps for a while, but Skenes confirmed they were dating in August once people started to catch onto some social media hints.

For one of the most popular athletes on the planet, the relationship presents a new challenge, but she’s learned a lot from it.

“I’ve definitely learned over the past few years that, this past year mostly, that keeping certain things private is OK,” Dunne told People recently.

“It’s funny because there’s speculations at first about it, but I guess people caught onto us having pictures and videos together out in public, so that’s kind of how the news broke. But we try to keep things private.”

OLIVIA DUNNE DETAILS THE ‘MOMENT MY LIFE CHANGED,’ WANTS EQUAL NIL OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEN AND WOMEN

Dunne says now that she’s entering her senior year, she has “the best grasp” on juggling her fame, money and personal life.

“The past few years, juggling NIL or ever since my sophomore year, since the summer of 2021, I’ve definitely had a hard time finding balance,” she continued. “That’s really important because if you don’t have balance, that can affect your mental health. I finally feel like I got a grasp on it this year. It’s just compartmentalizing things mentally is very important in my everyday routine.”

“Last year was probably one of the most rewarding and most difficult years of my life,” she added. “Just having so many eyes on me was such a new feeling, but it was pretty cool at the same time.”