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Dolly Parton shares the keys to her 56-year-long marriage to Carl Thomas Dean

VIDEO: The evolution of Dolly Parton's style.
11:14
The evolution of Dolly Parton's style
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic via Getty Images, FILE
ByAngeline Jane Bernabe
Video byBrittany Berkowitz
December 22, 2022, 1:44 pm

Dolly Parton is sharing the key ingredients to her nearly six decade marriage to her husband Carl Thomas Dean.

In an interview with ET Canada, the “I Will Always Love You” singer said that having different interests and a sense of humor are part of the secret sauce.

“I like it when people say, ‘How did it last so long?’ I say, ‘It’s stay going,’” Parton said. “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.”

In this Nov. 5, 2022, file photo, Dolly Parton performs on stage during the 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic via Getty Images, FILE

MORE: Dolly Parton has arrived on TikTok: 'Now that I'm here, tag me!'

“So it was meant to be, I think. He was the one I was supposed to have and vice versa,” she added.

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Another element to their long marriage is a sense of humor, the country legend said.

“We both have a warped sense of humor,” she said. “And I think humor, honestly, is one of the best things when you’re married like that. Even if you have a problem, if you have a great sense of humor, if you say something you can’t take back [you] usually have some crazy way of getting out of it.”

MORE: Dolly Parton pokes fun at her 54-year marriage with Carl Thomas Dean: 'I'm sure he's sick of me'

Parton and Dean tied the knot back in 1966. In their time together, Dean has typically stayed out of the spotlight despite Parton’s long career in the music industry.

In 2016, they celebrated 50 years of marriage and renewed their vows in a private ceremony.

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Dolly Parton now says she'll 'accept gracefully' if voted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

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