Dolly Parton credits her "warped sense of humour" with keeping her marriage going for 56 years.

The '9 to 5' hitmaker has been married to husband Carl Dean for well over five decades, and she has revealed that being able to laugh is the key to their long lasting love.

She told ET Canada: "We both have a warped sense of humour. And I think humour, honestly, is one of the best things when you’re married like that.

"Even if you have a problem, if you have a great sense of humour, if you say something you can’t take back [you] usually have some crazy way of getting out of it."

Although a relationship will always have ups and downs, Dolly insisted they've never had any terrible rows where they need to "take back" what they've said.

She added: "We’ve never had, you know, serious arguments to say bad things to each other we have to take back."

Dolly also pointed to being able to not be "in each other's faces all the time" and strike a balance in a relationship.

She explained: "I like it when people say, ‘How did it last so long?’ I say, ‘I stay going.'

“You know, there’s a lot to be said about that. So we’re not in each other’s face all the time.

"He’s not in the business, so we have different interests, but yet we have the things we love to do together. So it was meant to be, I think. He was the one I was supposed to have and and vice versa.”

The 76-year-old star surprised Carl Dean on his 79th birthday in July 2021 when she recreated her 1978 Playboy cover and donned the famous white tie and strapless black bunny outfit, much to his delight.

Earlier this year, she said: "I thought, 'Well, I'll just go surprise my husband and just cook breakfast for him in my bunny suit.' He got a kick out of it, and evidently a few other people did, too!"