She’s a global icon, the heart of country music, an actress, author and philanthropist – she even owns her own theme park! But, above everything else, Dolly Parton is known for her down-to-earth, unwaveringly kind and bubbly personality. And that’s exactly what shines through when I meet her at her headquarters in Nashville.
‘Hey there!’ she says, in her warm Southern tones, giving us a hug and squeezing our hand. ‘Welcome to Nashville!’
Sparkly 5ft Dolly is dressed in a navy jacket covered in gold butterflies (her symbol), tan trousers and is tottering on 6in skyscraper stilettos. She takes one look at our sequinned jumpsuit and laughs, ‘I’d love to get into that, but I couldn’t fit into the top half!’ referring to her famously enhanced cleavage.
As we sit down, we notice Dolly’s amazing eyeshadow – a trio of blue, gold and pink. ‘I did it myself,’ says the superstar – who’s had 25 No.1 singles and released more than 3,000 songs. ‘People always tell us blondes not to wear blue eye make-up, but I think it looks great.’
Dolly’s here to talk about the amazing wine range she’s launching in the UK. At 78, she looks half her age and every inch the blonde icon. Refreshingly, the star – whose 1973 smash hit I Will Always Love You (which was famously covered by Whitney Houston in 1992) held the No.1 slot on the Billboard 100 chart for 14 weeks – insists she doesn’t obsess over her appearance.
‘I can wear a tracksuit and look like hell when I’m at home!’ she laughs. ‘Everybody’s got their slouchy, comfy clothes. I do a little bit of yoga. I don’t do much running, I’m not trying to give myself black eyes! So I just try to do stretches and little floor exercises. But I’m not big on that.’
But Dolly – who established herself as a talented actress, appearing in 9 To 5 in 1980 and Steel Magnolias in 1989 – admits that she does watch her diet.
Dolly has long been one of the closest things to royalty America has – and, last year, Kate Middleton invited the legend to tea at Buckingham Palace, which sadly she couldn’t fit into her schedule. But Dolly says she’s now keen to get Kate over to Nashville so the whole royal family can enjoy her Dollywood theme park.
‘Oh, I would absolutely love for them to come to Dollywood, that would be fantastic!’ smiles the singer. ‘The kids could go on all the rides and we would treat them like royalty! I’d give Kate my mashed potatoes – I wouldn’t put on any airs for them. I would just let them enjoy what we enjoy, and I’m sure that’s the way they would want it. I would love to have those kids at Dollywood.’
And Kate might find herself bumping into Miley Cyrus at Dolly’s home – as the country icon is her godmother! Dolly smiles, ‘Miley is like family and we’re so close. When she comes to Nashville, we love to hang out at my house and cook together.’
The star is currently launching Dolly Wines Rosé and Prosecco in the UK and she says it stems from her love of cooking. She says, ‘The wine is great, because it goes with different things. And if you like good food and good wine, I think it all goes together just like fashion.’
But despite being hailed as a fashion queen, Dolly has described her look as a blend of Mother Goose, Cinderella and the local hooker and tries not to take it too seriously.
‘I say I’m more of an eyesore than an icon in some of the stuff I wear,’ laughs Dolly. ‘I just really do believe that for myself and for everybody else, you should wear what you’re comfortable in, what fits your personality, what you feel good in.'
Charming everyone she meets, Dolly has always strived to stay true to her roots. ‘I guess my own mother gave me the best piece of advice – it was that old saying of to thine own self be true. I think that says so much more than just that. It’s like, be true to yourself, know who you are,’ she tells us.
It’s this self-assuredness that has kept her feet firmly on the ground. ‘If you know who you are, and you’re grounded in yourself and in your faith, then you can make people feel good around you, because they feel comfortable,’ she says, adding, ‘I always say, I don’t give advice, but I have lots of information!’
Another thing Dolly is famous for is her ability to see the funny side of things. Superfan and Taylor Swift also spoken about the singer’s great sense of humour. And, Dolly reckons, it’s been the key to surviving a whopping six decades in the music industry.
‘I do have a great sense of humour,’ laughs the singer. ‘I’ve had to have fun in this business. Everyone should try to develop a good sense of humour if you don’t have one, because that makes life so much easier and so much more fun!’
The singer says it’s factor that has kept the chemistry strong between her and her husband Carl Dean, 82, who famously shuns the limelight.
Dolly – who’s hit Jolene was inspired by a redhead who flirted with Carl – says, ‘My husband and I have been together for 60 years. We’ve been married 58 years and we dated for two years. He has a good sense of humour, as do I, and I think that has been a big key to us, because we’ve had a lot of fun and when things get really bad, we somehow manage to find the humour in it, and that kind of lifts the load.
‘But I think we’re also good friends. We have a lot of respect for each other, and we just take each other as we are. We don’t try to change each other and make a big deal out of all the little things that some people do.
‘We just have a great life, and we’re different enough so, when we are together, we have things to talk about, because he’s interested in what I do, but that’s not his world, and I’m interested in what he does, but that’s not my world, but together, it’s our world. We make our world work with all the things we do, and we’re just very close.’
And despite amassing a fortune of around £500 million, she says she’s always remembers her humble beginnings. Growing up in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee, Dolly was one of 12 children and described her family as ‘dirt poor’.
‘Well, I love what I do,’ says Dolly. ‘I’m thankful that I’ve got to make a living at what I love. I pray for guidance, and just let me enjoy what I do, what I feel like was my God-given talent.
So, it never crosses my mind that I should be egotistical about that, I’d be afraid it might be taken away from me!
‘I just love people and I never forgot where I came from or who I am, and I’m grounded in my faith and in my principles and my own values. I live according to the rules that I’ve set for myself. But I like people, and I like to make people feel like they can be close to me.’
Dolly Wines Rosé and Prosecco available at ASDA now.