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Country music queen Dolly Parton has been married to husband Carl Dean for 56 years and counting! So what exactly is the secret to a love that spans over half a century? In a recent interview with ET Canada, Parton attributed much of her long-lasting love story to humor, and a healthy balance of different interests.
"I like it when people say, 'How did it last so long?' I say, 'I stay going,'" Parton explained. "You know, there's a lot to be said about that. So we're not in each other's face all the time. He's not in the business, so we have different interests, but yet we have the things we love to do together. So it was meant to be, I think. He was the one I was supposed to have and vice versa."
She mentioned that humor is one of the best qualities of her marriage. "We've never had, you know, serious arguments to say bad things to each other we have to take back."
Since being married in 1966, Dolly and Carl have kept their relationship very private per Carl's preference to remain outside of the spotlight.
"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 shared. "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."
Rare photos of the couple can be seen in Parton's new visual memoir, Dolly Parton Songteller: My Life In Lyrics.