Dolly Parton Revealed the ‘Hardest Time’ in Her Marriage to Her Husband

Dolly Parton and her husband, Carl Dean, were together for nearly 60 years of marriage. The couple wasn’t often spotted in public together, but Parton said they fit together well. He supported her career from its earliest stages. Parton said she would never leave him. Still, she admitted they once hit a rough patch. She shared what kicked off the difficult period in their marriage.

Dolly Parton said her marriage hit its roughest patch when they built their house 

Because Dean almost never stepped out in public, much of what we know about him comes from Parton herself. She said they got along well.

“Carl ’n’ I are good friends,” Parton said, per the book Dolly on Dolly. “We have a real special relationship, and they’ll have to wait a long, long time for our divorce. We’re so totally open and free that whatever happens, happens. Carl was the wittiest boy in school. He’s a fool like Steve Martin, yet there’s that depth. He’s so brilliant and sensitive and good.”

While she said they had a good marriage, things weren’t perfect between them. Though Parton said they didn’t have huge fights, they went through a rough patch when they built their house.

“We’ve never had a serious argument,” she said. “Oh, we get a little aggravated like any couple. The hardest time was when we built our house: Carl, I don’t like that faucet. Well, then why don’t you do it yourself?”