Dolly Parton dishes marital advice, talks importance of 'sensible separation' from husband Carl Dean
The ‘Jolene’ singer has been married for 54 years
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dolly Parton has a lot of advice about marriage 54 years after saying 'I do' to her husband Carl Dean.
In a conversation with fellow country singer Gabby Barrett, Parton, 74, gave advice to the newlywed and expectant mother.
She shared her decades-long marriage has lasted because of “sensible separation” and their opposites-attract relationship.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}DOLLY PARTON SAYS HUSBAND CARL DEAN ISN’T ‘NECESSARILY ONE OF THE BIGGEST FANS’ OF HER MUSIC
Dolly Parton attends the 53nd annual CMA Awards at Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 13, 2019 in Nashville, Tenn. (Taylor Hill/Getty Images)
Barrett is going to cover Parton’s 1973 hit “I Will Always Love You” for Amazon Music, the pair revealed in a video for People before diving into the marital advice.
The “Jolene” singer began by telling the “American Idol” alum about the “great friendship” she has with Dean, 78.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“We're both funny, and we both have a great and warped sense of humor so we've always had a good time,” she said.
“He's pretty much a loner and a homebody, and I'm a gypsy. But when I'm home, I love that. We don't do the same thing so it gives us different stuff to talk about,” Parton continued. “He doesn't get involved in my business, and I don't in his, so we have our own little world that we create for ourselves."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dolly Parton arrives at the 61st annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
The “9 to 5” singer added: "I've always made jokes that the reason our marriage has lasted so long is because I stay gone. Well, there's a lot of truth in that. We're not in each other's face all the time.
“I think there's a lot to be said about having some sensible separation because you can't be with somebody 24/7, 365 and not want to smack their face now and then," Parton admitted.
The country music legend then revealed she and Dean “have never fought” and instead opt to walk away if they get “pissy” with each other, then reconvene when calm.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Then if you get that worked out, smack him across the head,” she later joked.
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Dolly Parton and Gabby Barrett (Getty Images)
“Marriage is a business too, and you got to look at it like that,” she told Barrett, 20. “You got to make the right decisions for all the little things that come up."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Parton called the first year of marriage “the hardest” because you’re still trying to figure out and learn about your partner.
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"That's the year that you get the most rubbed wrong only because you're having to share space with somebody you've never had to share your space with before. Your habits are different than theirs so you got to work those little things out,” she said to Barrett, who got married to fellow “American Idol” alum Cade Foehner last year.