Dolly Parton reveals why she keeps marriage with husband Carl Dean private

Country music singer has been married to husband Carl Dean for 55 years

(Getty Images)

Dolly Parton is opening up about why she keeps her relationship with her husband private and out of the public eye.

The country singer has been married to her husband Carl Dean since 1966, but the couple have maintained a low-profile throughout their 55-year marriage.

In a special International Women’s Day episode of The Kelleigh Bannen Show on Apple Music Country, the actor and philanthropist revealed how she’s kept certain aspects of her life private while still being an open book with her fans.

"I learned early on,” the country music star said, per Today. “And I think my mama told me when I was young, ‘Always keep something back for you. You can give what you’ve got to give, but don’t give it all away. Always keep something for you.’”

Parton said she has applied her mother’s advice to her relationship with her husband, which she prefers to keep private.

“I’ve known how to keep my husband private,” she said. “It’s just natural to me to protect the things and the people I love and to protect my own privacy.”

She added: “I pray also that God will give me enough to share and enough to spare when it comes to my money but also to myself. Let me share everything I can, but let me keep me.”

Still, the 76-year-old has previously revealed some of her secrets to keeping a happy marriage, including “dressing up” for her husband of 55 years.

“It’s important to me that I look as good as I can,” the Jolene singer said during an interview with E! News’s Daily Pop in January 2021. “I think it kind of helps keep things spicy.”

In doing so, Parton celebrated her husband’s 79th birthday by recreating her iconic 1978 Playboy cover in July last year.

Social media was shocked to learn Parton’s husband Carl Dean wasn’t “imaginary” after the singer uploaded a throwback photo of the pair to Instagram, where she wrote: “Find you a partner who will support you like my Carl Dean does!”

The full interview with Dolly Parton on The Kelleigh Bannen Show airs Tuesday March 8, on Apple Music Country.