Dolly Parton in November 2023.Photo:Jason Kempin/Getty
Jason Kempin/Getty
Dolly Partonand her husbandCarl Thomas Deanare the epitome of opposites attract.The country legend, 78, offered rare insight into her 58-year marriage to Dean, 82, on a new episode ofBunnie Xo’s podcastDumb Blonde, and explained the secret to making love last, despite their differing views on life in the limelight.“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.”The “Jolene” singer said the couple’s shared sense of humor has even helped them avoid major arguments over the years.“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 explained. “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.”Parton married Dean in 1966, two years after meeting him in a Nashville laundromat that day she moved to the city.He’s largely shunned the spotlight in their six decades together, choosing to maintain his privacy in spite of his wife’s A-list fame. The couple — who have no children — are rarely seen together in public, though Dean remains entirely supportive of Parton’s career.In a1977 PEOPLE cover story, Parton described her husband as “sort of shy and quiet,” and said he’d never seen her perform.“What we have together is so sweet and good that I’d never want it to get jumbled up with the other,” she said.Dolly Parton in November 2023 in Nashville.Jason Kempin/GettyIn 2015, she told PEOPLE thatbeing so different was what drew herto Dean, who previously worked in the asphalt paving business.“We’re completely opposite, but that’s what makes it fun,” she said. “I never know what he’s gonna say or do. He’s always surprising me.”The pairrenewed their vows in 2016at their home in Nashville. She told PEOPLE at the time that she planned to have a “beautiful wedding dress” for the occasion, as she didn’t have one at their first wedding, when they tied the knot in Ringgold, Ga. with only her mother there as a witness.
Dolly Partonand her husbandCarl Thomas Deanare the epitome of opposites attract.
The country legend, 78, offered rare insight into her 58-year marriage to Dean, 82, on a new episode ofBunnie Xo’s podcastDumb Blonde, and explained the secret to making love last, despite their differing views on life in the limelight.
“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.”
The “Jolene” singer said the couple’s shared sense of humor has even helped them avoid major arguments over the years.
“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 explained. “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.”
Parton married Dean in 1966, two years after meeting him in a Nashville laundromat that day she moved to the city.
He’s largely shunned the spotlight in their six decades together, choosing to maintain his privacy in spite of his wife’s A-list fame. The couple — who have no children — are rarely seen together in public, though Dean remains entirely supportive of Parton’s career.
In a1977 PEOPLE cover story, Parton described her husband as “sort of shy and quiet,” and said he’d never seen her perform.
“What we have together is so sweet and good that I’d never want it to get jumbled up with the other,” she said.
Dolly Parton in November 2023 in Nashville.Jason Kempin/Getty
In 2015, she told PEOPLE thatbeing so different was what drew herto Dean, who previously worked in the asphalt paving business.
“We’re completely opposite, but that’s what makes it fun,” she said. “I never know what he’s gonna say or do. He’s always surprising me.”
The pairrenewed their vows in 2016at their home in Nashville. She told PEOPLE at the time that she planned to have a “beautiful wedding dress” for the occasion, as she didn’t have one at their first wedding, when they tied the knot in Ringgold, Ga. with only her mother there as a witness.
source: people.com
