Olivia “Livvy” Dunne was smiling through the pain.
In a recently released video chronicling her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover journey, the former famed LSU gymnast shared she was dealing with a knee injury while shooting on location in Bermuda.
“Fun fact, I was shooting on a fractured kneecap, so poses like this and the cover shot kind of hurt, but it was honestly so worth it,” Dunne said in a voiceover accompanying the Instagram clip, which showed her posing on her knees in an animal print bikini.
That image wound up being a cover shot, something Dunne, 22, wasn’t privy to while shooting.
“Little did she know she was shooting her COVER,” Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’s Instagram handle commented on the video.
Two months before Dunne’s first-ever Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover dropped, the social media powerhouse — who boasts more than 13 million followers across Instagram and TikTok — revealed she was grappling with a knee injury that would sideline her during LSU senior night in March.
“Hi friends! Unfortunately I’ve been dealing with an avulsion fracture of my patella and will not be able to compete on senior night,” Dunne wrote in an Instagram Story at the time.
“It absolutely breaks my heart to not get the opportunity to compete in the PMAC one last time. Tiger fans, you’ve been so good to me! Thank you for the endless support and as always Geaux Tigers! – Liv.”
Dunne wrapped her gymnastics career at LSU in April, when the Tigers placed third in the NCAA semifinals, failing to repeat as national champions.
“You will always be my first love,” Dunne said in a tribute video. “… Time did fly by and I will cherish every memory for the rest of my life.”
As Dunne closed the gymnastics chapter of her story, she opened another in May as a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover star.
“I AM A SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SWIM COVER MODEL!” she exclaimed of the milestone on Instagram. “Somebody pinch me!”
In addition to Dunne, Salma Hayek, Lauren Chan and Jordan Chiles also graced Sports Illustrated Swimsuit covers this year.