Dolly Parton and her husband of 57 years, Carl Dean, have spoken openly about their choice not to have children, with the 77-year-old sharing that their lack of children wasn't a decision they made, but they're happy with their lives.
Speaking of whether she regretted not starting a family, Dolly told Billboard in 2014 that she did have regrets at first but doesn't anymore.
"Early on, when my husband and I were dating, and then when we got married, we just assumed we would have kids. We weren't doing anything to stop it. In fact, we thought maybe we would. We even had names if we did, but it didn't turn out that way.
"Now that Carl and I are older, we often say, 'Aren't you glad we didn't have kids? Now we don't have kids to worry about.'"
Though they're content to not have children, Dolly's medical history could be part of the reason they didn't expand their family. In her 2017 book Dolly on Dolly: Interviews and Encounters with Dolly Parton, the Jolene singer shared she struggled with her health in the 1980s, falling ill at the age of 35.
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Dolly was diagnosed with endometriosis, which sees tissue similar to the lining of the womb growing elsewhere in the body, causing extreme pain. People with endometriosis can struggle to fall pregnant, with stats revealing 30–50% of people with endometriosis find it hard to get pregnant.
The singer went on to have a partial hysterectomy at the age of 36 meaning she wouldn’t be able to have children naturally. Dolly's operation seriously impacted her, writing in her book: “Suddenly I was a middle-aged woman. I went through a dark time.”
Adding that her ill health sent her into a dangerous spiral, Dolly shared she turned to junk food, eating three pizzas daily and drinking too much, writing: "On top of being medicated, Dietin' Dolly would go on liquid protein, Scarsdale, Atkins, the water diet.
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“Then I'd binge, diet, gain, start all over again. Eventually, my system wouldn't work anymore. My body couldn't hold up under that strain."
Now approaching 80, Dolly takes better care of herself. The 9 To 5 hit-maker doesn't like going to the gym or sweating next to strangers, so instead bounds around her $400,000 Nashville home while shouting and jumping.
Dolly, who is a devout Christian, also manages to incorporate her morning prayers into the flurry of morning activity – and it sounds like it burns a lot of calories.
Speaking to WSJ. Magazine for their My Monday Morning series, Dolly explained: "I create my own rejoicing exercises! I grew up in the Pentecostal church where we used to do a lot of shouting and jumping around. I keep my motor running in the mornings when I just shout through the house praising the Lord.
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The country music legend insists she doesn't do any other form of exercise, although her illustrious singing career no doubt keeps her very active too.
She added: "I thought I could create something joyful, where you were doing something for a reason rather than yourself. But that's the extent of my exercise. I'm not big on going to the gym… and I'm particular about who I sweat with."
We're glad Dolly found a way she likes to stay fit!
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