Dolly Parton went through a "dark time" when she found she couldn't have children.

The 65-year-old singer- who has been married to Carl Dean for 45 years - underwent a partial hysterectomy after collapsing on stage at the age of 36 and admits she initially struggled to come to terms with the fact she would never have a family of her own.

She said: "Suddenly I was a middle-aged woman. I went through a dark time, until I made myself snap out of it."

Dolly has always been dedicated to her career and insists she was never tempted by a Wild Party lifestyle because she didn't want to ruin her success.

She told Britain's Elle magazine: "I've always been very sensible, because I believed in my talent and I had a clear idea of what I wanted out of life.

"I'll drink if it's a special occasion, but I never wanted to take drugs that could fry my brain.

"I got married when I was 20 and my husband is very straight, so I just never got into any of that.

"I didn't want to whore around either. I didn't want a bad reputation. I knew I couldn't do anything to mess up work or stop me writing songs."