Dolly Parton kissed some frogs before she eventually ended up with prince charming Carl Thomas Dean – her loving husband for the last 54 long years.
The legendary Country singer recently opened up about her worst date as a teenage during an interview with Jimmy Fallon and actor Noah Centineo.
Dolly virtually appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for a round of “True Confessions,” in which two players have two envelopes — one that contains a true statement and one that is a lie — while the other players attempt to guess if their story is real or fabricated.
In Parton’s case, she shared her worst date during her teenage years – talking about how a date kicked her out of his car at night.
“A date kicked me out of a car and made me walk home at night through a forest with bears and bobcats,” Dolly Parton said.
The Country singer admitted that she only dated the guy because he had a “nice car” and confirms that she absolutely came in contact with the aforementioned wild animals while trudging through the woods in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee.
“I heard them, felt them. That was not a pleasant place to be,” Dolly Parton recalled.
Parton said the insensitive man gave her the ultimatum of either putting up with his advances on her or getting kicked out of his car.
“It was a put out or get out situation, so he kicked me out,” said Parton.
After careful deliberation, both Jimmy Fallon and Noah Centineo accurately guessed that the story was true. The legendary singer handled it with her trademark wit.
“But I did learn something that night though. I thought if that ever happens to me again, I’m definitely giving it up. I would rather be chewed on by a boy than a bear,” said Parton.
Dolly Parton has only dated a handful of men, she first met her husband Carl Dean when she was 18 years old and got married to him two years later at the age of 20.
Parton and Dean met at a local launderette in Nashville, on the first day the singer had moved to the famous music city. Dean was 21-year-old at the time.
After two years of dating, the pair were ready to tie the knot – but Dolly’s record label advised against it, with concerns it could hinder her career.
Parton went on to marry Dean in 1966, against the advice of her record label. They were forced to elope, and said their marriage vows in a little church in Georgia on May 30th 1966. The only people who attended the wedding were Parton’s mum, the preacher and his wife.
“I had a little white dress and little flowers, and my mom went with me,” Parton told People in a past interview.
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Parton’s big break in music happened in the 60s, moreso after getting married. But this wasn’t something that bothered her more private husband.
The country singer even had to head off to a radio appearance the morning after their wedding, and pushed back the honeymoon so she could focus on other commitments.
Preferring to avoid the limelight, Parton’s husband has only accompanied the country star to an industry event once – a BMI dinner in 1966.
Though Dolly went on to become a superstar, she remained committed to her husband and marriage. They’re still happily married today.
Their love has withstood over five decades – and Parton’s incredibly successful career in music. But when they first met in the 1960s, neither of them could’ve imagined that she would become the country legend she is today.
And despite her husband Dean preferring a much more private life, the couple found a way to make their five decade old marriage work.
In 2016, the still-loved up couple decided to renew their vows after 50 years of marriage. They held the ceremony at their home in Nashville, with Parton wearing an elaborate wedding gown to the event.