Dolly Parton has given a rare insight in to her 58-year marriage to Carl Thomas Dean.
The 78-year-old country star has been married to her husband, 82, for over half a decade.
In an interview on Bunnie Xo’s podcast Dumb Blonde, Dolly revealed some of the secrets to their long-lasting union.
“He’s quiet and I’m loud, and we’re funny,” she said. “Oh, he’s hilarious. And I think one of the things that’s made it last so long through the years is that we love each other (and) we respect each other, but we have a lot of fun.”
She added that they have relied on their shared sense of humour to get them through any tough times in their marriage.
“Anytime (there’s) too much tension going on, either one of us can like, find a joke about it to really break the tension, where we don’t let it go so far,” she said.
“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.’ 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.”
The couple has been married since 1966, two years after they met in Nashville.
Carl, who used to work in the asphalt paving business, is rarely seen in public. Dolly believes it’s their differing personalities that has made their relationship last.
“We’re completely opposite, but that’s what makes it fun,” she said in 2015. “I never know what he’s gonna say or do. He’s always surprising me.”
The couple renewed their vows in 2016 at their Nashville home.
