Dolly Parton Admits She’s Always ‘Been Up And Down’ With Her Weight — ‘I’m A Hog At Heart’

Country music legend Dolly Parton is opening up about body image. Although she has one of the most desirable physiques in Hollywood, the “Jolene” singer says she has always struggled with her self-confidence.

“I’m a hog at heart,” the 72-year-old told People. “I’ve been up and down with my weight through the years, so I can definitely relate to that.” Though she tries her best to eat healthy by keeping to a “low carb diet” throughout the week, Dolly said that she doesn’t hold back if she’s craving one of her favorite meals.

“I’ll make gravy and biscuits and fried sausage or fried spam. My husband loves my cooking, so I cook for him,” she said of her hubby, Carl Dean, who she’s been married to for over five decades. “I really cook just old Southern food.” If she’s in the mood, Dolly will even whip up some of her late mother’s recipes that she loved when she was a child.

“If I think of Mama, then I usually cook what she used to cook that we loved so good,” Dolly said of her mother, Avie Lee, who died in 2003. “Mama used to make, it’s like chocolate pudding, really, but you put it in the skillet with flour and sugar and milk and you just make a pudding. Mama used to put it with biscuits. Mama’s gone now, but she’s not gone in our memory and in our cooking.”

It seems as though for Dolly, eating is more than just for survival — she truly enjoys the sentiment behind each of the meals that she makes. And whether it’s in the kitchen or on the stage, the blonde beauty has inevitably inspired many people throughout the years as a country music icon.

“When I was younger, I used to wonder what my life would be like when I was older, how people would see me,” the songwriter confessed. “‘Cause I always wanted to do something to touch people. I wanted to uplift mankind and glorify God. It’s very touching to me to see that something I’ve done has been an inspiration.”

Well, Dolly, you’ve definitely succeeded! In fact, she has left such an impact that even Netflix created a movie that tells the story of an overweight teen inspired by the “9 to 5” singer called Dumplin’.

“[This movie] shows that you don’t have to be physically beautiful,” she revealed. “You don’t have to look like a supermodel. I really worry a lot about young girls today because they think they have to look like the models or the people on television. We need to be accepting of ourselves in how we are.”

If you are interested in watching this captivating movie, Dumplin’ will be released on Netflix on Dec. 7!