In addition to the typical questions regarding her secrets to marital success, Parton also addressed inquiries about her and Dean’s status as a couple without children.

“I used to think I should regret it,” Parton told Billboard regarding her choice not to have children. “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 prevent it. In fact, we thought maybe we would. We even had names picked out if we did, but it didn’t turn out that way. Now I say, ‘God didn’t mean for me to have kids so everybody’s kids could be mine.’

She revealed to The Guardian that if they had ever had a daughter, they would have named her Carla, and she and Dean often contemplated what their children might have been like.

“I believe I would have been a great mother,” Parton stated. “I would probably have given up everything else because I would have felt guilty about leaving them [to work]. Everything would have changed. I probably wouldn’t have been a star.”