Dolly Parton, 76, has had her own Valentine for nearly 60 years. In honor of Valentine’s Day 2022, Dolly shared an adorable throwback photo of her and husband Carl Dean. Dolly has the biggest smile on her face as Carl gives her a kiss on the cheek.
“Happy Valentine’s Day y’all! Remember to squeeze your loved ones a little tighter today and tell them you love ‘em!” Dolly captioned the sweet photo.
HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Dolly about the one rule that’s led to her successful marriage. “You don’t want to start fighting,” Dolly said while talking about her Duncan Hines partnership. “We made a rule years ago that we’d never argue because once you start that, it can become a habit, and that just goes on.” The “Jolene” singer also added that both she and Carl have a “great sense of humor.”
Dolly and Carl have been married for 55 years. The two wed in May 1966. While Carl prefers to stay out of the spotlight, there’s no denying that Dolly’s only ever loved one man in her life: Carl. She is still smitten with him after all these years.
Dolly is one of the most legendary figures in the music industry and Hollywood as a whole, but she has never judged Carl for not wanting to share the spotlight with her. “It’s just not who he is,” she told Entertainment Tonight in 2020. “He’s like, a quiet, reserved person and he figured if he ever got out there in that, he’d never get a minute’s peace and he’s right about that. I’ve always respected and appreciated that in him and I’ve always tried to keep him out of the limelight as much as I can… “He said, ‘I didn’t choose this world, I chose you, and you chose that world. But we can keep our lives separate and together.’ And we do and we have. We’ve been together 56 years, married 54.”
Dolly loves to share throwback photos of her and Carl with her nearly 5 million Instagram followers. In November 2021, Dolly posted an old photo of her and Carl holding hands. “Find you a partner who will support you like my Carl Dean does!” Dolly captioned the post.