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Though fans may not see much of Dolly Parton’s husband, Carl Dean, the pair has been happily married for well over fifty years. Dean likes to stay far out of the spotlight, but Parton has shared several sweet quotes about their relationship. In honor of Valentine’s Day, here are some of Dolly Parton’s most romantic quotes about her longtime partner.

Dolly Parton wears a pink dress and strums a guitar in front of a microphone.
Dolly Parton | Michael Putland/Getty Images

Dolly Parton knew Carl Dean was special when she first met him

When Parton moved to Nashville, she had no intention of getting into a relationship. Not only did she want to work on her music career, but she shared that she was leaving two boyfriends back in her hometown. Despite this, she met Dean on her first day in the city.

“I was surprised and delighted that while he talked to me, he looked at my face (a rare thing for me),” she shared on her official website. “He seemed to be genuinely interested in finding out who I was and what I was about.”

For his part, Dean also knew that Parton was something special.

“My first thought was ‘I’m gonna marry that girl,’” said Dean, per ET. “My second thought was, ‘Lord she’s good lookin.’ And that was the day my life began.” 

The ‘I Will Always Love You’ singer shared that their differences make their relationship work

Parton and Dean may seem like an unlikely pair due to their differences in personality. She embraces attention while he avoids it. Despite this, she revealed that their differences make their relationship gel.

“They say that opposites attract, and it’s true,” Parton told People. “We’re completely opposite, but that’s what makes it fun. I never know what he’s gonna say or do. He’s always surprising me.”

She shared the qualities that draw her to Dean.

“My husband is a good man, first of all,” she said. “He’s a deep person, but he has a great and warped sense of humor. He makes me laugh and entertains me. He’s very secure within himself.”

While Parton acknowledges that they are different, she thinks that they have just enough in common to fit well together.

“When we’re together, we have enough things in common that it works,” she explained. “We love the simple life. We can be calm and just have a good time.”

She likes to keep some elements of their relationship private

While Parton offers glimpses into her relationship with Dean, she says that there are some parts of their relationship that she doesn’t want to share. She explained the sweet reasoning behind this.

“My husband is not one who wants to be just thrown out there,” Parton told Vogue. “He’s very private, and I’ve always respected that for him and about him. And so, we just try to live our lives. Everybody is not entitled to every single thing you do and thought you think, although I do share as much of my life as I possibly can. I’m not holding back any information, but there are just some things that are sacred and private.”

Despite affair rumors, Dolly Parton says she’s loyal to Carl Dean

Parton has faced affair rumors for nearly all of her time in the public eye. Though she often embraces the publicity these rumors bring, she shared that there’s rarely truth to them.

“He’s not jealous and I’m not jealous of him. He knows I flirt. He flirts too,” she said, per the Mirror. “Yes, it’s an open relationship, but not sexually and I would kill him if I thought he was doing that. He would shoot me too. At the end of the day we love each other madly.”

Dolly Parton says she wouldn’t change anything about their life together

In honor of her fiftieth wedding anniversary in 2016, Parton reflected on her relationship with Dean. After decades together, Parton says that there’s little she would change about the relationship. 

“If I had it to do all over, I’d do it all over again, and we did,” she said. “I’m dragging him kicking and screaming into the next 50 years. Wish us luck.”

RELATED: Dolly Parton’s Husband Didn’t Say ‘I Love You’ or Outright Propose Before They Got Married

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