Dolly Parton says 'distance' is the secret of her 50-year-old marriage with husband Carl Thomas Dean

Dolly Parton revealed the secret of her successful marriage and it's not exactly what many would expect. For many, distance causes havoc in relationships, breaking apart even the ones who were once deemed inseparable, but for Parton, it is exactly what has been keeping her marriage so perfect for the past 50 years. The 70-year-old, who married businessman Carl Thomas Dean in 1966, jokingly said because she had to travel a lot due to her career, her marriage has lasted as long as it has.

"Yeah, stay gone! We've been married for 50 years and I've been gone for about 47 of those. But the truth is, we've always been very compatible." Parton said, "To those that follow the signs, I'm a Capricorn and he's Cancer, and those are very compatible signs.”

“But we've always had a good time together, and he's got a great sense of humour and so do I. And he loves staying home and I love staying gone, so it's worked out really well,” she continued.

Video: Dolly Parton on 60 years in the industry 
 

The eight-times Grammy Award-winner also disclosed that with time they have been more understanding of each other and their relationship has only grown stronger.
 

"Well, it's just grown deeper. The longer you live with somebody, the more you know them, and you take on all their traits as well as them taking all of yours. And you just have a deeper and better understanding - more of an appreciation,” 

“But we've always had a great respect for each other, and I think that's been the thing that really and truly sustained us through the years,” she added.

 Dolly Parton recently released her latest song, Pure and Simple, on Youtube. Watch the video below: 

Video: Dolly Parton - Pure and Simple