Dolly Parton reveals her grandfather used to physically abuse her

Dolly Parton says she used to receive beatings from her grandfather due to her provocative outfits.

Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton admitted her grandfather used to physically punish her over the way she dressed.

The 77-year-old singer infamously modelled her look on "the town tramp" and admitted both her preacher grandad and her father admonished her for her high heels and tight skirts, but the '9 to 5' singer didn't care.

Speaking to The Guardian newspaper, she said: "I’m very sensitive, I didn’t like being disciplined – it hurt my feelings so bad to be scolded or whipped or whatever. But sometimes there’s just that part of you that’s willing, if you want something bad enough, to go for it."

The artist pointed to her song 'The Sacrifice' on her 2011 album 'Better Day' as proof of her mantra.

She said: "It kind of sums it up.

"It says, ‘I was gonna be rich no matter how much it cost / And I was going to win no matter how much I lost / Down through the years I’ve kept my eye on the prize / And you ask if it’s worth the sacrifice.’ I think it is, for me."

Dolly also credited her mother for her "strength" and belief in herself.

She explained: "I’ve always been true to myself. That was what my mama always used to say: to thine own self be true. I put a lot of stock in that.

"Everything I do, whether it’s my personality, how I conduct myself and business, or whatever, if I do it my way, according to what I understand and believe, there’s a strength in that. You can think, ‘I can stand by this, I can live by this.' "

The 'Jolene' hitmaker - who has been married to Carl Dean for 57 years - has acquired an empire worth over $500 million but she had to work to overcome prejudicial ideas about her because she is a woman.

She said: "I would just say, ‘I think I have something that we can all make some money off of, and get over the fact that I’m a girl here, because my mind is on something else.'

"Having grown up surrounded by brothers and uncles, I always knew how to manoeuvre in a crowd of men. I never slept with anybody to get ahead, because to me it wouldn’t be worth it. That don’t usually work in the long haul either."