Dolly Parton has been married to her husband Carl Dean for 53 years.
The couple first met in 1964, when Parton was just 18 and Dean was 21, and, by all accounts,
it was love at first sight.
Speaking at their 50th wedding anniversary celebration in 2016, Dean recalled:
"My first thought was I'm gonna marry that girl.
My second thought was, 'Lord she's good lookin.'
And that was the day my life began."
The two got married two years later, eloping in a small church in Georgia with only Parton's
mother, the preacher, and the preacher's wife as witnesses, as Parton was concerned that
tying the knot in a more public and traditional ceremony would damage her flourishing music
career.
Of course, you might be surprised to hear that Parton is married at all, and nobody
could blame you, either.
After all, Parton's husband is notoriously private and has only ever been spotted with
the country music legend a couple of times.
Parton has frequently been questioned about the whereabouts of her husband during her
lengthy career, and her answer is always the same.
Her husband prefers a quiet life, outside of the spotlight, and likes to keep a distance
from everything that comes with Parton's fame.
In 2018, Parton told Parade:
"He's not in show business.
He's not resentful of any of that.
He loves to hear about the things I do.
I love to hear about the things he does."
Talking to People magazine in 2016, Parton also hinted that Dean may have more of an
introverted personality.
She explained:
"My husband is a loner.
He doesn't particularly care about being around anybody but me.
He's just always asked me to leave him out of all this.
He does not like all the hullabaloo."
While Dolly spent most of her life touring the world and furthering her career onscreen,
Dean stayed in Nashville, where the two share a home.
For most of that time, Dean ran a local asphalt-paving business, but he recently retired.
You can only assume that one of the main reasons Parton and Dean's relationship has stood the
test of time is that the couple live so much like normal people.
They are never seen in the spotlight, so can't be easily scrutinized, nor rattled by the
media circus that revolves around her life.
When asked by People magazine about the secret to her long and happy marriage, Parton admits
that the reason they work so well together is because she and Dean are completely different
individuals.
She explained:
"They say that opposites attract, and it's true.
We're completely opposite, but that's what makes it fun.
I never know what he's gonna say or do.
He's always surprising me."
Elaborating further on the differences in their personalities, Parton continued:
"He wants to be mostly around the house.
He knows I'm just the opposite...He doesn't need me in his face, and it's the same with
me.
But when we're together, we have enough things in common that it works."
There is one thing they both love to do, though.
During an interview on the UK TV show Good Morning Britain, Parton stressed the importance
of laughter in her and Dean's marriage.
"We laugh a lot, and I think that's been one of the healthiest, the most precious part
of our relationship."
But their differences extend further still.
In fact, Parton and Dean are so unlike each other that they even share different tastes
in music, with Dean choosing to listen to hard rock and bluegrass instead of country
music.
"He doesn't dislike it, but he doesn't go out of his way to play my records, let's put
it that way."
During her Good Morning Britain interview, Parton also revealed that her husband rarely
watches her perform live, and has only been to a handful of her shows over her decades-long
career.
According to Parton, Dean often felt nervous about possibly seeing her mess up during a
performance, but said that after watching her a few times things got a little easier
for him.
Still, when Dean does watch Parton perform, he prefers to attend the more low-key state
fair shows rather than the more intimidating grandstands or stadiums.
But above all else, Parton still insists that Dean is proud of her, and her work, telling
People magazine:
"He's always been my biggest fan behind the scenes."
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