Dolly Parton sheds light on the moment she first met husband Carl

Dolly Parton has remained relatively quiet about her lengthy marriage over the years, with the pair rarely seen together since they tied the knot over 50 years ago. But, now in a sit down chat with 60 Minutes the star has opened up about the moment they first met and how their relationship has stayed so strong over the years.

The couple first met when the singer was just 18 and her now husband Carl Thomas Dean was 21. But according to Dolly, it certainly wasn’t her intention to settle down so early. Speaking to 60 Minutes, Dolly said when she first set out for Nashville to begin her country music career, she planned to stay single for a while, but life had a different plan for her.

In fact, it only took hours in her new home, before she landed eyes on Carl for the first time, in a laundromat of all places.

“It’s not often that someone can say their life changed forever at a place called the Wishy Washy Washateria,” she told 60 Minutes. “Well, it did though. I met my husband, you know, when I first got to Nashville back in 1964.

“I’d just graduated from high school. Left two boyfriends at home, had no intentions of finding a boyfriend. I just wanted to work on my music. I didn’t want no boys, no men or anybody sidetracking me. So what do I do the very first day?”

It’s now been over 50 years since that day and the couple are still going strong, despite the occasional distance due to Dolly’s ongoing singing career. The couple have spent lengthy amounts of times apart over the years thanks to her busy schedule, but Dolly said it works well for them.

“We’ve been married for 53 years. It’ll be 54 this coming May and we get along great and we’ve just had a really good marriage,” she said. “He’s independent. So am I. He likes staying home. I liked staying gone.”

This isn’t the first time Dolly has shed some light on their relationship. Last year the star spoke to US Weekly about her marriage as she was honoured as MusiCares Person of the Year in Los Angles. The talented singer revealed the secret to their success is partly forgiving each other.

“You gotta kinda respect and like each other and forgive a lot of stuff and accept a lot of things,” she told the news outlet at the time. “Love each other and keep your vows.”