Dolly Parton is still head over heels in love with her husband Carl Thomas Dean. The country music legend on Monday, Feb. 14, took the opportunity to publicly express her love for her husband of more than 55 years when she shared a rare photo of Dean in a sweet Valentine’s Day post.
In the throwback image, shared to Parton’s Instagram account, Parton could be seen smiling for the camera as Dean kissed her on the cheek, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. The “9 to 5” singer, 76, went on to pen a sweet note in the caption, Parton writing, “Happy Valentine’s Day y’all!” She added, “Remember to squeeze your loved ones a little tighter today and tell them you love ’em!”
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The Monday photo marked a rare post for the couple, who tied the knot in 1966 in Ringgold, Georgia just two years after they first met outside a Nashville laundromat in 1964. Their wedding was just a small occasion, with just Parton’s mother and the pastor’s wife attending. In the five decades that have passed, Dean has only been spotted on rare occasions, and he rarely ever appears on Parton’s socials. In November, however, Parton did share a rare vintage photo of her husband to promote her new line of merchandise.
While Dean has all but lived a private life outside of the public eye centered on his wife, Parton hasn’t shied away from openly discussing their marriage over the years. Speaking to PEOPLE back in 2020, Parton credited distance as the key to their marriage, the singer sharing that she has “always made jokes that the reason our marriage has lasted so long is because I stay gone,” she admitted that “there’s a lot of truth in that. We’re not in each other’s face all the time. I think there’s a lot to be said about having some sensible separation because you can’t be with somebody 24/7, 365 and not want to smack their face now and then.”
More recently, the “Jolene” singer in January 2022 revealed how she and Dean keep their marriage “spicy.” Parton told E! News’ Daily Pop that she likes “to dress up for Carl,” adding that “every day, I put on some makeup and fix my hair because I think, ‘Well, the whole world, I’m out here and everybody else sees me all dressed up, and I’m not going to just kind of go home and just flop on him.’” Parton said that it is “important to me that I look as good as I can,” something that she said she believes “helps keep things spicy.”
