(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Dolly Parton says the secret to a successful marriage is to stay gone.

The 65-year-old country legend has been married to Carl Thomas Dean for 45 years next month. The pair who married in Georgia, America in 1966 have a healthy relationship, and Dolly puts it down to having space from each other.

I always say its easy I stay gone! So we get along perfect, if you arent there then you cant fight. We get along great and he is a dear friend, she told a British television show when asked how she maintains her marriage.

Dolly and Carl never had children, and the singer says that the decision was Gods will. The blonde star is closely involved with her siblings families and loves spending time with her nephews and nieces.

Dolly who donates a lot of her time to philanthropic work runs a literacy initiative called the Imagination Library. She is proud of the work she does with the children involved with the scheme who receive one book per month from the time of their birth until they enter kindergarten.

I dont know if I would have been a great mother or not, but I am a great aunt. And I am a great friend, but I think God knows what he is doing, she explained. I think I wasnt meant to have kids so that everybodys kids could be mine. That is why I take a lot of pride in the Imagination Library, kids get a book every month from when they are born until they are five years old. We will have given away 40 million books since we started the programme. (C) Cover Media