Olivia Dunne Reveals How Relationship With Paul Skenes Works So Well: They're ‘Complete Opposites’

The athletic pair complement each other nicely.

Paul Skenes and Olivia Dunne / Rob Tringali/Getty Images

Olivia Dunne and Paul Skenes may both be (current and former) LSU athletes, but that might just be their biggest similarity.

In a recent interview with People, the fifth-year gymnast revealed that the pair are actually pretty different people—and that’s what’s been making their one-year-long relationship tick. “I feel like we’re like yin and yang,” Dunne admitted in the sit-down.

Over the past few years, the college athlete has built a brand for herself on social media. Her following consists of 8 million TikTok and 5.3 million Instagram followers. In other words, she is dedicated to content creation—and to social media. Skenes, on the other hand, is not. He “doesn’t even have social media on his phone,” Dunne said of the current Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher. “He doesn’t like social media at all.”

That difference doesn’t bother the gymnastics star, though. Social media is her domain, and she doesn’t need Skenes to be on the same page in that regard. In fact, if anything their differences have allowed their relationship to blossom, according to Dunne. “We’re just very opposite and I feel like it really works,” she remarked.

Paul Skenes and Olivia Dunne / Matt Dirksen/Getty Images

Throughout the past year of dating, she has come to appreciate Skenes for his ability to “hold [her] accountable.” When “it’s hard to find it within [herself] to do things,” she knows she can rely on him to push her to achieve more and greater goals.

That has been particularly true where her gymnastics career is concerned. “I feel like his work ethic is something I’ve never seen before,” she said. “It’s very cool to hear his advice for me, and I feel like that made me a better athlete last year.”

Dunne reciprocates by helping her boyfriend to navigate his newfound fame. Having found great success as a rookie MLB pitcher, Skenes has been thrust into the spotlight over the course of the past year. Dunne, who is familiar with fame and attention, is looking forward to helping him manage the change. “Hopefully I’m able to help him in ways like that,” she remarked.

Earlier this fall, the 22-year-old kicked off her fifth year on the LSU gymnastics team. For the remainder of the academic year, she’ll be residing in Baton Rouge—and hopefully helping her team to a second consecutive NCAA Championship. Skenes, for his part, will be playing baseball in Pittsburgh. Though they’ll be doing long distance, we have no doubt that the pair will continue to find ways of supporting (and complementing) each other.