In an exclusive and revealing interview with 60 Minutes Australia, music and cultural icon Dolly Parton has opened up with unprecedented candor about her decades-long use of plastic surgery, the intimate secrets of her 47-year marriage to the reclusive Carl Dean, and the profound personal struggles behind her legendary upbeat persona. The conversation, one of the most personal the star has ever granted, peels back the layers of the carefully constructed “Backwoods Barbie” image to reveal the shrewd businesswoman, devoted wife, and complex artist beneath.
Parton, 78, addressed the topic of cosmetic enhancements head-on, dismissing any notion of secrecy. “I will have it again when I need it,” she stated matter-of-factly regarding future procedures. She revealed she did not undergo any plastic surgery until the age of 40, long after achieving stardom, and pushed back against the perception she has been overly altered. “People think that I’ve had so much more than actually what I really have had,” Parton explained, attributing the speculation to her own openness on the subject.
She framed her approach as pragmatic maintenance. “I just look at myself every now and then. Every few years it’s just like having an automobile. You got to keep it up.” When asked if she would look the same at 100, the star replied without hesitation, “I will if I live to be 100.”
The interview took a deeply personal turn as Parton shed light on her extraordinarily private 57-year relationship with husband Carl Dean, whom she married in 1966. She vehemently dismissed rampant tabloid rumors, including one claiming a $450 million divorce. “He said, ‘Hell, I would leave you if I thought I was going to get that kind of money,'” Parton quipped, laughing.
She described Dean as her “best bud” but confirmed his famous aversion to the spotlight, revealing he rarely attends her concerts to avoid attention and even visits her Dollywood theme park incognito. “He buys a ticket and he goes in and people don’t even know,” she said. Parton also addressed decades of affair rumors with co-stars like Sylvester Stallone, stating, “I have a relationship with everybody I work with, but that’s not the same as an affair.” She admitted to being a “big flirt” but fiercely protects her marriage.
Parton traced the origins of her iconic look to a surprising inspiration from her childhood in the Great Smoky Mountains: a woman she believed to be the “town prostitute.” “She had all this yellow beautiful hair… red lipstick. She looked like me,” Parton recalled. “I thought she was the prettiest thing I’d ever seen.” This early imprint led to punishments from her preacher grandfather, who “thought I was going to hell in a hand basket.”
The music legend became emotional discussing the legacy of her songwriting, particularly the classic “I Will Always Love You.” She shared the poignant origin story: it was written for Porter Wagoner as a farewell when she left his show. The song later took on a life of its own with Whitney Houston’s record-shattering cover. Parton described hearing Houston’s version for the first time on the car radio. “I almost wrecked the car… It was the most incredible feeling you can imagine.”
She revealed the song was nearly recorded by Elvis Presley, but she refused Colonel Tom Parker’s demand for half the publishing rights. “I cried all night,” she confessed, “but I just had to make a business decision.”
In a startling revelation, Parton disclosed she battled severe depression in the 1980s, a period of hormonal changes, weight gain, and family strife. “I understood at that moment how people do get on drugs… how people can commit suicide,” she shared. She credited her faith and grit for pulling her through. “I’ve been everywhere… I needed to know how everybody feels.”
The icon also reflected on the tragic losses of friends like Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson, musing that some turn to drugs because “they’re trying to get to heaven before time.” She connected Houston’s funeral directly to her own mortality, noting softly, “I thought that’s probably one of two coffins that’ll have that song sung over it.”
Despite her global fame, Parton maintains a fiercely practical and controlled daily life. She revealed she and Dean grocery shop at midnight or in the early morning hours to avoid crowds, and she meticulously plans public appearances. “I know where I can go and when I can go,” she said, adding that the sacrifice has always been “worth it.”
The interview concluded with Parton vowing never to retire as she prepares for her upcoming Australian tour. “As long as the Lord lets me be on my feet and my mind and if I can keep my voice, then I’m going to do it,” she declared. “I can’t imagine my life without my music.”
This extraordinary dialogue offers a rare glimpse into the resilient spirit of an American original, a woman who built a timeless brand from her own vision, navigated the perils of fame with sharp business acumen and deep faith, and sustained a lifelong love story away from the glare of the cameras she so brilliantly commands.
