Dolly Parton is a wise woman. And she definitely knows her stuff when it comes to relationships. The Queen of Country just proved that she and husband Carl Dean are absolutely relationship goals.
Dolly shared an adorable throwback on Instagram of her and her husband of 55 years. In it, Carl is wearing a black T-shirt that features Dolly's name and several photos of her. It seems to be digitally edited, but we know he's all about her anyway.
"Find you a partner who will support you like my Carl Dean does!" she captioned the image. Truly, it's basically the best relationship advice ever.
Dolly shared the image in her Instagram stories, as well. She posted the link to her online store, where the shirt is actually available for purchase. No one will forget who wore it first (and probably best), however.
Dolly and her husband clearly have a really amazing bond. Part of the reason could be that they notoriously stay off the radar, keeping their relationship pretty private. But that's why we love when Dolly shares a cute throwback of the pair even more.
Dolly and Carl's love story is very sweet, too. It's also incredibly … normal! They actually met at a laundromat in Nashville. Soon after, they were married.
Dolly and her husband have definitely put the work into their marriage, and it shows. While Dolly is a massive star, she doesn't seem to mind catering to her husband's desire to stay out of the spotlight.
In 2018, she told People about how they manage to go on dates. "When I met my husband, he wanted to take me out to dinner," she said. "He pulled up to the drive-in window and got our food at McDonald's. We know a few little places we can go without being bothered. He only likes to go places where he can be comfortable!"
The recent throwback is just further evidence of how much Dean supports his wife. But that's always been the case. Dolly has previously said, "He's always been my biggest fan behind the scenes, but he's at home. … He'd never come dragging around. I'd rather bring somebody else with me, you know? He's never jealous of that either."
Dolly's husband met her when she was only 18 years old. It makes you wonder if meeting her before she was an icon has anything to do with why their relationship has endured so many years. Regardless, it seems like they have the mutual respect thing down.
Major takeaway? Be like Dolly and marry your biggest fan.
