Speaking about the first time he saw Kelly, Ben said: “She was stunningly good looking and just pretty perfect actually.

“I remember exactly what she was wearing, when we met and where we went for dinner, and it was 10 out of 10 as first dates go.”

Ben said Kelly had been a “massive fan” of Dolly’s music and performed the famous 1980 single 9 To 5 with her band, but they “didn’t even think about Dolly Parton at the time”.

It was not until a 40th birthday party that Ben and Kelly realised how good her impersonation skills were.

Ben said: “It was a friend’s brother’s 40th birthday party and it was in a lovely hotel in Scotland … and our friend said to Kelly, ‘Would you, for a laugh, dress up and be Dolly Parton?’

“The feedback from everybody at that gig was so good that Kelly sat and thought, ‘hold on a minute’ – and that’s how it started.”

Kelly then took out a loan and spent six months in “intensive training”, learning how to make dresses, perfect her makeup skills, play instruments and speak like Dolly.

Ben said she went “all guns blazing” and her experience of doing cabaret and improvised comedy, as well as singing, helped her transform into the role.

Kelly has since created a show based on Dolly’s life, which has around seven costume changes throughout, and has toured places including Australia, Denmark, the UK and Ireland.

Ben said his life and home now revolve around Dolly Parton – something he never anticipated when he first met Kelly – and he has almost become a “walking encyclopaedia”.

“My house is full of Dolly Parton pictures and wigs and costumes,” he explained.

“There are lots of books about Dolly … there is Dolly memorabilia, Dolly posters, Dolly pictures, pictures of Kelly as Dolly.

“There’s a whole room that’s just Dolly – Kelly’s production room, her studio, is dominated by Dolly paraphernalia.”

Ben said he has “chaperoned” Kelly at various gigs and even pretended to voice Dolly’s husband Carl Dean off-camera for her Facebook shows during the Covid-19 lockdowns, acting as a “comedy foil to Kelly’s genius”.

Kelly even met Dolly Parton in person in 2011, which was “surreal” as they were dressed in almost identical outfits.

Speaking about what Dolly would think of their relationship, Ben said: “She is always really supportive of her impersonators and tribute acts and she is a very romantic person, so I think she’d find it rather sweet.”

Despite being a house music fan, Ben’s favourite Dolly songs sung by his wife are Little Sparrow and The Grass Is Blue.

Kelly admitted that she does not “work nine to five”, contrary to Dolly’s song, and it can be challenging with her touring schedule and being away from home.

However, she said Ben supports her 100% and he has been her “sounding board”.

“It has been challenging because of childcare and Ben having a full-time job, but he has always put my dreams at the forefront and been there to help, even sometimes helping manage my show,” Kelly said.

“I really couldn’t do it without him.”

Ben said Kelly will soon audition for Dolly Parton’s new Broadway musical and she is the only UK-based performer asked to audition.

He said Kelly is “devastatingly funny as Dolly” and he loves that Kelly’s job allows her to have the “best of both worlds”.

While it can feel “meta” seeing his wife make her living by “being someone else”, he said Dolly has brought joy and fun to their lives.

“What I love about Kelly’s job is that she can perform in front of 10,000 people and she can be on a screen, and then she’ll go backstage and turn back into Kelly and no one will recognise her,” Ben said.

“You get to keep your anonymity and you have the best of both worlds.

“Dolly has brought a huge amount of joy to our lives.”

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Cut From Indiana Republicans’ Proposed Budget

The program promotes childhood literacy by sending one book a month to kids from birth up to age five

Indiana Republicans have proposed cutting state funding for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program, which provides books to young kids in an effort to promote literacy.

According to the South Bend Tribune, legislators in the Indiana House of Representatives recently proposed a biennial budget that did not include the usual 50 percent matching funds the state provides to finance the program. The other half is provided by the United Way and local community foundations. The program would be unable to bear the full cost if the state reneges its funding.

Parton’s Imagination Library serves young readers across the country, providing one book a month to kids from birth until age five. In Indiana, the program was heavily embraced and now serves every county in the state. It’s been credited with helping to push Indiana up the nationwide rankings in child literacy rates from 19th to sixth.

Just this past January, Indiana’s outgoing Republican Governor, Eric Holcomb, hailed the program in an end-of-term op-ed for the IndyStar. Noting the state’s investment in literacy education, he said, “One of these days, Dolly Parton will pay us a visit to celebrate the statewide embrace of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, another tool to help our kids read.”

It’s unclear why exactly funding for the program was cut from Republican legislators’ proposed budget. Maureen Bauer, a Democratic state representative for South Bend said the initial budget was based on the priorities of Indiana’s new Republican Governor, Mike Braun. (Braun’s office did not immediately return Rolling Stone‘s request for comment.)

“It was a disservice to remove [the funding]” Bauer told the South Bend Tribune. She did add that House Democrats would aim to put the funding back when they presented their version of the budget. The budget will then be debated and combined with the Republican’s version before going to the state Senate.

In a statement shared with Rolling Stone, Jeff Conyers the Vice Chair and President of the Dollywood Foundation (which oversees Imagination Library), said he was “hopeful that Governor Braun and the Indiana Legislature will continue this vital investment by restoring the state’s funding match for local Imagination Library programs. The beauty of the Imagination Library is that it unites us all — regardless of politics — because every child deserves the chance to dream big and succeed.”

Conyers continued: “Indiana’s leaders have the opportunity right now, during this legislative session, to reaffirm their commitment to our Imagination Library partnership and the future of the state’s youngest children. We are currently seeking to work closely with key decision-makers to ensure that every child in Indiana, no matter where they live, can continue to receive the gift of books each month — free to their families and full of possibility.”