'Congrats to the queen': NFL star Christian McCaffrey hails girlfriend Olivia Culpo's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover (PHOTOS)

The front cover of Sports Illustrated's iconic Swimsuit edition always attracts plenty of attention, and this year's edition is no exception, with girlfriend of NFL star Christian McCaffrey, Olivia Culpo, playing a starring role.

A former Miss USA and Miss Universe, Culpo was one of three models given the honor of featuring on the cover of Sports Illustrated's 2020 Swimsuit edition, and she received gushing praise from her NFL star boyfriend.

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Carolina Panthers running back McCaffrey is widely considered to be one of the most exciting offensive talents in the NFL, and has 1.4 million followers on Instagram.

But his following is dwarfed in comparison to his girlfriend, with his model partner Culpo followed by 4.7 million adoring fans.

Posting to her Instagram page, Culpo shared her joy at being featured on the cover of SI's iconic Swimsuit edition.

"WOW! I really am speechless and this still doesn’t feel real," he said.

"I am so grateful for every experience I have been able to have with my @si_swimsuit family.

"It’s been an honor to be surrounded by so many amazing and strong women.

"The second swipe here is a vision board I made about 4 years ago before I had ever even shot for sports illustrated. I cut out pictures from a huge SI coffee table book I bought and glued my face on it."

McCaffrey's shared his admiration with his followers via his Instagram story, posting simply, "Congrats to the queen."