Dolly Parton reveals secret of her almost 60-year marriage

10 December 2024, 13:40

Dolly Parton getting a kiss on the cheek from her husband Carl Thomas Dean — Dolly and Carl are a very private couple. Picture: Dolly Parton/Instagram

By Hannah Watkin

Dolly has been married to her husband for 58 years.

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Now, the Jolene singer has opened up about the special relationship she shares with Carl Thomas Dean.

Speaking with social media star Bunnie Xo on her podcast series Dumb Blonde, the 78-year-old singer shared the story of how she and her husband of over 58 years met. Dolly also opened up about her relationship with her very private spouse.

Telling Bunnie about the story of how she and Carl met, Dolly joked that the “the last thing” she wanted at the time was a boyfriend.

Moving to Nashville, the ‘9 to 5’ singer’s focus was solely on making a success of her music career.

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“[But] the very day I got to Nashville I met Carl Dean, and 60 years later I’m still with Carl Dean!” she laughed.

“Yeah, we’ve been together 60 years, we’ve been married 58, going on 59.”

Gushing about her husband, Dolly continued: “He’s a good guy. He’s quiet and I’m loud, and we just, we’re funny. Oh, he’s hilarious!

“And I think one of the things that’s made it last so long through the years is we love each other, we respect each other, but we have a lot of fun [too],”she reflected.

“Anytime things get too much... either one of us can find a joke about it to really break the tension. We don’t let it go too far.

Dolly Parton performing on stage — Dolly and Carl's relationship works because of the pair's respect as well as love for each other. Picture: Getty

“We never fought back and forth, and I’m glad now that we never did, because once you start that, that becomes a lifetime thing.

“I've seen it with so many people, and I thought, 'I ain't ever starting that,’” Dolly added. “I couldn't bear to think that he'd say something I couldn't take because I'm a very sensitive person, toward other people and myself."

Asked what she thinks is the secret of the pair’s enduring relationship, the beloved country singer-songwriter praised their respect for each other’s differences.

“He loves music, but he’s not the least bit interested in being [involved with fame], and he told me that right upfront,” Dolly explained.

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During the first year of their marriage, the ‘Jolene’ singer begged Carl to join her at an award show. “Oh he was so uncomfortable the whole night...

"[After] he said: ‘Look I want you to do everything that you want to do, and I wish you the best, but don’t ever ask me to go to another one of those damn things, because I ain’t going,’... and I respected that,” she said.

On the podcast, Dolly also opened up about her childhood growing up as part of a large family in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

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“There was 12 of us in all... and we were just country people, trying to scratch a living out of dirt up there in the hills,” she shared.

“But I was blessed to have a good mom and dad, and they managed pretty good to work with nothing to raise a house full of kids.”

The singer explained how she credits her childhood with helping her grow up to appreciate everything she has in life today.

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On the influence that her family has had on her music over the years, Dolly said: “I loved my family – still do. I stay as close as I can to them.

“I don’t see them as often as I’d love to, but they’re always in my heart and I always carry home with me wherever I go. And I write so many songs... to keep all that straight and keep that still present.”