Country music icon and legend Dolly Parton shared her secrets to a long and successful marriage during a recent interview. Parton and Carl Thomas Dean have been wed for 56 years – marrying in 1966 when he was 21 and she was just 18.
Parton joked that she always enjoys being asked the most common question of a long marriage.
“I like it when people say, ‘How did it last so long?’ I say, ‘I stay going,'” Parton remarked.
“You know, there’s a lot to be said about that,” she continued. “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. So it was meant to be, I think. He was the one I was supposed to have and vice versa.”
Of course, anyone who has ever been in a relationship knows it’s never perfect. Acknowledging the natural ups and downs of a long-term marriage, Parton shared that longevity is owed in part to have a “sense of humor.”
“We both have a warped sense of humor. And I think humor, honestly, is one of the best things when you’re married like that,” she said. “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.”
Another key to their success has been the lack of “serious” arguments and their ability to refrain from saying awful things that fracture trust at the expense of a short-term win.
“We’ve never had, you know, serious arguments to say bad things to each other we have to take back,” she explained.
Parton admitted it has helped that her husband has been supportive of her career ambitions and success within the music industry.
“He loves all of the songs. 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 was also celebrated recently after opening up on her faith and calling out the evil work of Satan in contemporary society.
“My brothers and my sisters, I am here to tell you that Satan is real. He is real and walking around amongst us, trying to destroy everything that’s good and beautiful,” Parton said in the middle of her performance. “He wants to break our hearts and minds, destroy our dreams and plans. He wants to tear us up in little pieces, break us down, and send us straight to hell.”
Parton continued by saying how her faith has saved her and how it can save others.
“Oh my God can do anything. My God can heal the sick, mend broken hearts, and take our souls to heaven. So Satan, listen up, in God’s name I rebuke you. I stand up in his name, look you in the eye, and laugh in your ugly face.
“I’ve done so many things,” Parton said. “And I see that I am in a position to help. People look at me like someone they’ve always known, like a mother or sister. If I say something good, people might listen.”
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