Kerri Walsh Jennings Nude ESPN Magazine Photos Well-received

Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings is relieved by the response to her appearance in the latest issue of ESPN magazine, which displays a set of before-and-after nude photos of the athlete, one when she was pregnant and a second nine weeks after giving birth.

Even though she often sported bikinis on the beach volleyball court over the years, Jennings told People magazine she was anxious about the photo shoots.

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“Driving there I was sweating bullets,” she told People. “I was really, really nervous. I felt exposed, not just physically, but with all of my insecurities.”

Part of her nervousness related to family expectations, the athlete told People.

“I had to think about it. I’m my parents’ daughter. I have my husband. When I came down to it, I had the opportunity to do something uncomfortable. I think that’s an important part of life. It’s something new. I looked at it as a challenge,” she said.

The photos appear in ESPN’s “body issue,” which also displays photos of other nude athletes.

Reaction on Twitter was positive.

Kerri Walsh Jennings looks absolutely beautiful in this year's ESPN the Body Magazine 👍

— Destinee Hooker (@destineehooker) July 9, 2013

Kerri Walsh Jennings Nude 'ESPN' Covers Show How Beautiful a Post-Pregnancy Body Really Is http://t.co/eGzk3ESpfl

— The Stir: Pregnancy (@pregnancyStir) July 10, 2013

I couldn't do it, but she looks great! Kerri Walsh Jennings Nude in ESPN's Body Issue: Before and After Baby | http://t.co/nIfk3nH7Hq

— Sara Dayley (@sjdayley) July 10, 2013

Walsh Jennings is far from the only celebrity to pose pregnant and nude. Celebuzz reports that at least eight other celebs did it, and shows the magazine covers to prove it.

The gorgeous mother-to-be cover girls include Jessica Simpson, Demi Moore, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Claudia Schiffer, and Cindy Crawford.

Walsh, who is inspiring other women with her quick pregnancy-weight loss, gained 36 pounds during the pregnancy and has already lost most of it after giving birth to daughter Scout Margery in April, People reports.

“I have been working my butt off literally every single day,” she told People “I’ve come a long way…But I’m definitely not where I would normally be going into my first tournament of the season,” she told the magazine.

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