Dolly Parton Reveals What’s Kept Her Marriage Strong For 56 Years

In the entertainment world, it’s rare to see a marriage that is actually able to stand the test of time. That’s what makes the 56 year marriage of the country music legend Dolly Parton to her husband Carl Dean so special!

In a new interview, Parton opened up about what she feels the secret is behind her long-lasting union with Dean, who is intensely private and prefers to stay out of the spotlight.

Parton’s Secret Behind Her Successful Marriage

Daily Mail reported that Parton believes that laughter is the key behind her successful marriage. 

“We both have a warped sense of humor,” Parton, 76, explained to ET Canada. “And I think humor, honestly, is one of the best things when you’re married like that.”

“Even if you have a problem, if you have a great sense of humor, if you say something you can’t take back [you] usually have some crazy way of getting out of it,” the “Jolene” singer continued.

Though their marriage has had its ups and downs like any other, Parton claims that she and Dean have never had a fight so bad that they had to “take back” something that they said.

“We’ve never had, you know, serious arguments to say bad things to each other we have to take back,” she added. 

Related: Dolly Parton Announces She’s Retiring From Touring So She Can ‘Stay Closer To My Husband’

Dean Is A Fan Of Parton’s Music

While Dean doesn’t like the spotlight, he’s still a huge fan of Parton’s music behind the scenes, and she even has a special surprise for him on her upcoming rock album.

“He loves all of the songs,” she said. “And I haven’t told him yet who I’m going to have on. I don’t even know myself, who all is going to be on it. But he’ll love it. I’m doing so many of his favorite songs on the album, so I’ll play it to him when it’s all done.”

Parton met Dean in Nashville the very first day that she arrived there as a teenager, and they got married two years later in 1966. Aside from a mutual sense of humor, Parton believes that giving each other space thanks to her frequent travel for work has also helped her marriage to last. 

“I like it when people say, ‘How did it last so long?’ I say, ‘I stay going,’” Parton stated. “You know, there’s a lot to be said about that. So we’re not in each other’s face all the time.”

“He’s not in the business, so we have different interests, but yet we have the things we love to do together,” she added. “So it was meant to be, I think. He was the one I was supposed to have and and vice versa.”

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Related: Dolly Parton Stuns Fans By Revealing ‘Sex’ Is Her Weakness – Jokes That She’s ‘Sick’ Of Her Husband

Parton’s Birthday Surprise For Dean

For Dean’s 79th birthday last year, Parton surprised him by recreating the Playboy bunny outfit that she wore on the cover of the magazine in 1978. 

“I thought, ‘Well, I’ll just go surprise my husband and just cook breakfast for him in my bunny suit,'” she said earlier this year. “He got a kick out of it, and evidently a few other people did, too!”

It’s so touching to see a marriage like Parton and Dean’s that has gone on for so many years. We should all be so lucky to have the love that they share, and we wish them many years of happiness to come!