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Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes and national champion gymnast Olivia Dunne have been the darlings of the baseball world since they officially announced their relationship a few years ago.
But the long-distance nature of their relationship can put extra pressure on the young lovebirds as they start their lives together. Anyone who has ever been in a similar situation will agree.
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Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates watches the selection show with his girlfriend Olivia Dunne during the ROY 2024 National League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award on November 18, 2024 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Lucas Casel/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Dunne opened up to People in February about how the two approached the possible hurdle.
“Honestly, I don’t think we have any rules. I just think it’s super important to be super present with each other while you’re together, while you’re having that time together,” she told the magazine. “I mean, he makes time to come to my events. I make time to watch him pitch. I try to start everything I can.”
“We’re both so busy that we understand if each other can’t be there for everything, but I just think that you value the time you spend together and that you’re super present in every moment.”
Dunne has been routinely spotted at Pirates games — whether in Pittsburgh or on the road on the East Coast — cheering on Skenes.
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Olivia Dunne cheers as she watches the game between the New York Mets and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citi Field on May 12, 2025. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)
She was also with him when he won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 2024 and last year when he won the National League Cy Young Award.
The two began dating in 2023, and she revealed in April 2025 that it almost never happened.
Dunne revealed in an interview with GQ Magazine that the relationship almost didn’t happen. She said Skenes did not follow her back on Instagram.
“He wouldn’t follow me back on Instagram,” she said.
Skenes told GQ that he rarely used Instagram at the time Dunne followed him.
Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes walks out of the bullpen before the game against the Oakland Athletics at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 21, 2025. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
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“I thought, Who is this boy and why won’t he follow me back?” she told the outlet.
The pitcher said he knew who Dunne was at the time, while the gymnast didn’t really know who the baseball player was, but wondered who the “tall, mysterious man who never smiles” was. They explained that Skenes was more of a “reserved” man and Dunne was more outgoing, but that didn’t stop their pursuit of each other.
