Dolly Parton's husband, Carl Dean, has steered clear from the public eye throughout their 54-year marriage. This has caused some to actually question whether the "Jolene" singer's husband even exists.
Parton made it a point to shut down these rumors about her husband, a former Nashville businessman, in a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight.
"A lot of people have thought that through the years," Parton told the outlet. "Because he does not want to be in the spotlight at all. It's just not who he is. 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," she continued. "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."
Parton and Dean tied the knot on May 30, 1966 in Ringgold, Georgia. Her husband's low profile regarding Parton's career might be a part of the reason why couple has remained together for so long.
"Our joke about the fact, when people ask me why it's lasted this long, I say, 'Because I stay gone," the country music legend said. "And there's a lot of truth in that — the fact that we're not in each other's faces all the time. But we do have a great respect and admiration for each other. We both have a great sense of humor."
Parton's interview with ET comes ahead of the premiere of her upcoming Netflix holiday movie, Christmas on the Square, and follows the release of her new Christmas album, A Holly Dolly Christmas.
Christmas on the Square, starring Parton as an angel, will premiere November 22 on Netflix. Watch the trailer here.
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