How Dolly Parton’s Husband Reacted When Her Family Members Warned Him She Was Having an Affair

Dolly Parton has been married to her husband, Carl Thomas Dean, since 1966. In their nearly 60 years of marriage, she has become a global superstar and he has stayed entirely in the background. Her fame has brought many rumors about her love life, including whispers that she has conducted affairs with several people. Parton said that even members of her family have warned Dean about it. Here’s how he reacts to these rumors.

Dolly Parton’s husband doesn’t worry about her having affairs

For years, tabloids have reported on alleged affairs between Parton, her co-stars, and other musicians. She has even fanned some of these flames herself, believing the publicity could be helpful to whatever project she’s working on. She admitted that people in her life have had serious talks with Dean about her alleged affairs.

“Carl has had various people and even family members approach him to say I was having an affair with this or that person,” Parton wrote in her book Dolly. “Carl would simply say, ‘Well, I would think less of any man that didn’t fall in love with her.’ And he means it. He seems to have an understanding of how I am and how people are toward me. He seems to know that I’ll be back, and that love affairs and relationships are just part of my dealings with people.”

She explained that Dean has a firm understanding that no matter what rumors say, she will always place him first.

“He knows that I will always come home. And as long as I live, we’ll always be together,” she wrote. “That’s all that matters to him. And he’s right.”

Dolly Parton’s husband has little interest in sharing the spotlight with her

Part of the reason rumors about Parton’s love life have long swirled is because many people scarcely even know she’s married. Though she has no problem talking about her husband, he seldom goes out in public with her. He prefers to stay away from the limelight. If anything, her fame has allowed him to have the quiet, peaceful life he’s always wanted.

“Carl has put up with a lot from my being in show business. But from most standpoints, he’s just about got it made,” Parton said. “He has anything he wants. And he has his own time. He doesn’t have to work if he doesn’t want to. But he loves to work, so he does.”

They differ greatly in the way they approach life.

“Carl sticks fiercely to the same daily routine, so I always know where he’ll be if I call him from the road. I, on the other hand, just love spontaneity,” she wrote. “To me, any change is good, except when it comes to Carl. If he gets thrown off schedule, it wrecks his whole day.”

She said her busy schedule has helped their marriage

Because of Parton’s busy schedule, she doesn’t get to spend much time at home with Dean. She believes this has benefited their relationship, joking that the key to marital success is distance. Still, there’s a limit to how long Parton and Dean like to be apart.

“We both have the freedom to come and go and do as we please,” she wrote. “Carl doesn’t really mind my being gone, unless I’m gone for more than two weeks at a time. Two weeks is just about my limit as well. After that we both get a little nuts and a little testy.”