Dolly Parton tends to keep her private life exactly that; private. Her husband Carl Thomas Dean is the same way and avoids the limelight, although his wife can't escape it. His comfort with remaining under the radar is so pristine that people have even stirred up cruel rumors that he doesn't exist. He's a real person, and their marriage involves an authentic kind of love.
Wedding Bells
Parton told the Knoxville News Sentinel about her bond with Dean back in 2011, "I've been married for 44 years, been with him for 46 years...My husband's a homebody, and I love to travel so, we don't have children, he loves his space. We just have a complete understanding. We enjoy each other when we are together."
"We know we can trust each other," she shared, "I know I'm always going home. He knows I'm always coming home...We're good friends. We love and respect each other. We're friends and we're married."
The two lovers and friends have celebrated over 50 years of marriage, and understand the importance of maintaining independence within a healthy relationship. According to Theme Fam, the two first laid eyes on each other at a laundromat and spent their first date eating McDonald's, honest beginnings that they have since cherished.
Parton mentioned in an interview with Good Morning Britain that Dean has only watched her perform in casual settings, "Usually if I'm playing at state fairs he loves to go to the fair and go to the tractor pull. Sometimes he'll ramble around and kind of hear me sing. He's not necessarily one of my biggest fans."
Marriage Advice From Dolly Herself
While Dolly and Carl's approach to marriage may not be everyone's preferred route, plenty of her fans find serenity in her marital advice. She said in an interview with Good Morning America, "We're both funny. We both have a great and warm sense of humor...I think there's a lot to be said about sensible separation."
"You can't be with someone 24/7, 365, and not want to smack their face now and then, " she bluntly noted. While the country icon might be outspoken and never afraid to stand up for what she believes in, she and Dean don't do intense confrontation in their marriage.
"My husband and I have never fought. We've never bickered back and forth because I never wanted us to say bad things we would have to remember. We get a little pissy now and then but we'll just walk off or go do something else and kind of let that die down."
Dean has never done a public interview, but it seems like his Southern roots and Parton's gypsy soul prefer it that way.