Weird Things About Olivia Culpo & Christian McCaffrey's Relationship

Back in 2012, Olivia Culpo first made waves when she took home the Miss Rhode Island and Miss USA crowns. Following her monumental wins, the beloved talent established a successful career as a social media influencer, actor, and reality star, garnering a dedicated fanbase in the process. "I'm always trying to go outside of my comfort zone when it comes to being an entrepreneur," she told Haute Living when reflecting on her career. However, Culpo's various professional achievements are only one aspect of her life with which fans have become obsessed. 

In addition to her career, the "Model Squad" star's colorful love life has become a hot topic amongst fans, especially her current relationship with San Francisco 49ers star Christian McCaffrey. In April, after four years of dating, the couple announced they were engaged in a romantic post on Instagram. "4.2.23," the couple wrote, with infinity symbols bookending the date, alongside a series of black and white photos from the heartfelt moment. Culpo also praised McCaffrey on her Instagram Story: "We tried to keep this quiet for as long as possible. I'm marrying my best friend. I love you so much, fiancé" (via Brides). 

With the sound of wedding bells in the couple's future, we did a deep dive into the lovebird's history. However, in doing so, we've discovered some odd things about Culpo and McCaffrey's relationship.

While Olivia Culpo and Christian McCaffrey are happily engaged, the lead-up was a little rocky. Days after their engagement was announced, the model influencer shared some behind-the-scenes details about the proposal and her gorgeous ring on TikTok's Amazon Live. When a fan asked if she had any input in the design, Culpo responded, "I tried to hint at what [ring] I wanted, and he was just so uninterested." Even though McCaffrey's nonchalant attitude was part of his proposal plan, the former Miss USA winner felt hurt by his attitude. "He was just doing it on purpose. I was getting so annoyed," she added. "Honestly, my feelings were getting hurt, but he just wanted it to be a surprise so it was absolutely amazing."

For Culpo's extravagant oval-cut engagement ring, McCaffrey consulted with Ring Concierge. "We worked with Christian to thoughtfully design a ring that encompassed Olivia's trendsetting style while still remaining timeless," Nicole Wegman, the jewelry company's CEO and founder, told Page Six. Despite the little hiccup, the pair and the aforementioned engagement ring are seemingly stronger than ever.

April 2023 proved to be a busy month for model Olivia Culpo following her fairytale engagement to Christian McCaffery. A couple weeks after the news made headlines, Culpo attended the annual Coachella Music Festival. Despite her change in relationship status, she was spotted without her stunning engagement ring, which resulted in a disastrous moment with another festival-goer. "I will say though, not wearing your ring can get you into trouble. Yesterday, I got hit on," she said on TikTok. "The guy was like, 'I know you, I saw you at the Super Bowl party.'" She went on to say that after the individual asked for her name, he looked her up on Instagram.

"He didn't follow me or anything and he definitely saw that I was engaged and he was like, 'Oh, bye,'" she continued. While Culpo attended Coachella sans engagement ring, all that was on her mind was her engagement to McCaffrey. In an interview with People, the Miss Universe expressed her excitement about her upcoming nuptials, stating, "It's been a thrill of a lifetime, honestly." The same could be said for McCaffery, who commented "Awooga" on one of her Coachella photos on Instagram. So, we're going to chalk up Culpo's lack of engagement ring to her not wanting to lose the piece of jewelry at the festival.  

Before finding love with 49ers player Christian McCaffrey, Olivia Culpo had a challenging history with professional athletes. In 2016, the social media influencer made headlines when she dated former New England Patriots player Danny Amendola. "I met her on the corner of Hollywood and Vine, just walking down the street," the wide receiver gushed to The Providence Journal. While the pair seemingly had a picture-perfect relationship, their love affair turned sour in 2018. Following a series of break-ups, make-ups, and a bizarre social media rant from Amendola himself, the two called it quits in December of that year.

Because of the volatile ending of their relationship, Culpo enacted a no-athletes dating rule. However, after meeting McCaffrey, the "Venus as a Boy" star threw out her self-imposed ban. "He's just the best, I feel like he is really everything I could ever ask for," Culpo told Entertainment Tonight in 2022. "So I never worry about anything. I think that was the reason why I didn't want to date an athlete, no offense, because there is a reputation there." While she didn't point to Amendola, the former NFL player was accused of cheating on Culpo after TMZ shared photos of him with another girl. Toward the end of her interview with ET, "The Culpo Sisters" star attributed the success of her relationship with McCaffrey to his upbringing. "I feel like you can really tell who a person is by the people that raise them," she added.

Back in November 2022, Olivia Culpo and her sisters Aurora and Sophia waded into the reality TV sphere with their TLC series "The Culpo Sisters." Similar to shows like "The Kardashians" and "The D'Amelio Show," the series follows the three siblings as they navigate their careers, personal lives and sisterly bond. In an interview with E! News, Olivia dished about being vulnerable in the reality TV series, stating, "That was really challenging because it wasn't something that we were used to and I think there's also a level of responsibility in roping in our parents and our brothers to do it tastefully."

While the reality show featured Oliva and her sisters in a new and intimate light, the former's long-term partner, Christian McCaffery, was surprisingly absent from the show. "My boyfriend is not in the series. That was probably the biggest challenge, just making sure that I respect the fact that he does not want to be on a show like this," she explained to Ryan Secrest. While the 49ers star has no plans to ever appear on "The Culpo Sisters," Olivia did tease that there may be one exception to his no-reality TV show boundary. "Maybe now that he's a triple crown-er he'll want to be on the show."

While Christian McCaffrey's marriage proposal was the thing of dreams, Olivia Culpo's sisters had little to do with the planning. In an April interview with E! News' "The Rundown," Aurora and Sophia admitted to not being involved with McCaffery's plans. "I didn't know. Nobody would tell," the eldest Culpo stated. Olivia was quick to add that the decision stemmed from Aurora not being the best person to keep a secret. "She wasn't told for good reason," the former Miss Universe joked. As for Sophia, the youngest Culpo revealed that she figured out McCaffrey's romantic plan on her own. "I cracked the code. But I was not told. I was just nosey and figured it out," she explained.

While Aurora and Sophia were kept out of the proposal loop, we're sure Olivia's siblings will be helping with the wedding planning, which has already presented some challenges for the beloved star. In an August interview with PopSugar, "The Swing of Things" actor admitted that securing a location and guest list has been a difficult endeavour. "I'm excited to get that part over with. And then I think from there, it's just more of the creative stuff, the moments we dream of when we're really little kids."