Livvy Dunne has revealed that her latest Sports Illustrated photoshoot “hurt” her as she opened up to fans on the painful experience.

The former LSU gymnast has

made a name for herself in the influencer industry

since graduating college earlier this year,

bringing an end to five years with the Tigers women’s gymnastics team

. However, it was a season-ending kneecap fracture in March that pulled the curtain down on her collegiate career early.

The 22-year-old is yet to officially announce what the next chapter of her life will be but, with a

social media

following of over 10 million and

total NIL earnings of $9.5 million

from her time at LSU, it’s unlikely she’ll be in too much of a rush to figure things out. She did, however,

attend the 2025 Kentucky Derby last month

.


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Earlier this year, though, Dunne became a cover star for the first time when she posed for SI Swimsuit in Bermuda, kneeling in the water wearing a zebra-print bikini top and green bottoms for its May 17 edition.

But in a recap video of the shoot posted to her social media last week, captioned, “Best 24 hrs everrr”, Dunne revealed how she was in discomfort throughout the entire event.

As the montage showed her traveling to the tropical island, attending fittings, and taking to the beach for the animal print-themed shoot, the social media star said: “Fun fact: I was shooting on a fractured kneecap, so poses like this and the cover shot kinda hurt.”

With the shoot taking place earlier in the year when she was still enrolled at LSU, it came around the same time she sustained her season-ending injury. Nonetheless, Dunne insisted that “it was honestly so worth it.”

That’s despite spending just 24 hours on the island, having needed to return to LSU for class the next day, but it was yet another experience she can add to her portfolio, having also done previous shoots in Puerto Rico (2023) and Portugal (2024) with SI.

Speaking to the company earlier this year, Dunne described the experience as a dream come true. “I can’t believe it. Oh my god,” she told the magazine. “That photo is so good. That is crazy, I am a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model.”

Gushing over the shoot in Bermuda, which was shot for an issue that also featured fellow gymnast Jordan Chiles, actress Salma Hayek and model Lauren Chan as cover stars, she added: “It was the most beautiful place I have ever been. The whole experience was extraordinary.


“I know it was quick, but every single time we go to these places, and I shoot for these 24 hours, and it’s the quickest trip, you guys feel like family, truly. I have the best time, and it’s the most fun shoot I’ve ever done.”

Dunne’s injury revelation comes just weeks after she was berated for her “Riders Up” call ahead of Kentucky Oaks, a tradition held before the main event, which caused her to open up on the difficulties she faced after viewers slammed it “a tough watch.”

The influencer was handed the privilege of performing the Churchill Down tradition at Friday’s event in Louisville in front of more than 100,000 punters, yet the swimsuit model

appeared to struggle through her lines

.