I will always love you … but I won’t go on a red carpet with you.
Dolly Parton revealed that her husband of 58 years Carl Dean has no interest in attending public industry events with her after he felt “so uncomfortable” before an award show.
The pair made the decision way back in 1967 when the “Jolene” songwriter and Dean, 81, were newlyweds.
The Tennessee native rented a tux and “begged him” to go to the BMI Awards when she was nominated for Song of the Year – which she won – but after that, Dean made it clear that the glitz and glam made him “so uncomfortable.”
“He said, ‘Look, now I want you to do everything you want to do, and I wish you the best, but don’t ever ask me to go to another one of these damn things because I ain’t going,’” Parton quipped on the “Dumb Blonde” podcast, hosted by Jelly Roll’s wife Bunnie Xo.
“And he never did.”
Dean’s decision wasn’t a surprise to Parton because apparently the two-time Oscar nominee knew her husband was never interested in the spotlight.
“He loves music, but he’s not the least bit interested in being in it,” the 78-year-old country music icon added.“And he told me that right up front.”
The 11-time Grammy Award-winning singer told E! News in 2022 that it’s important for her to still dress up for him at home.
“Every day, I put on some makeup and fix my hair because I think, ‘Well, the whole world, I’m out here and everybody else sees me all dressed up, and I’m not going to just kind of go home and just flop on him,’” the country superstar told the outlet.
Bunnie Xo/YouTube
The couple met at a laundromat in Nashville way back in 1964. At the time, Parton was just 18 years old and he was running an asphalt-paving company in Tennessee.
The pair got married in 1966 at a small church in Ringgole, Ga. with only Parton’s mother, Avie Lee Parton, and the preacher in attendance.
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Over the next decade, Parton would release a series of No. 1 songs including “Joshua,” “Jolene,” “Love is Like a Butterfly” and “I Will Always Love You.”
They renewed their vows in 2016 and do not have any kids.
The star credits God for being an important part in the highs and lows of their marriage.
“A belief in God is essential,” Parton stressed in an interview with Closer Weekly in 2018.
On top of the country legend’s dozens of albums, she’s acted in 150 film and television productions, scored two Academy Award nominations for writing the song “Travelin’ Thru” in 2006’s “Transamerica” film as well as the song “Nine to Five” in 1981’s movie “9 to 5″ and even the state of Tennessee offers license plates with her face on it.
