Country singer Dolly Parton revealed that she was at the point of taking her own life after "an affair of the heart" ended, but her dog stopped her from doing so.
In a new tell-all book, "Dolly on Dolly, Interviews and Encounters with Dolly Parton," the 71-year old "Queen of Country Music" detailed her dark past that saw her binge-eat, cheat on her husband, and almost commit suicide.
While Parton is happily married to her husband Carl Dean for 51 years now, she admitted that they had a few problems in the 80s, The Daily Mail reported.
This led the Grammy Award-winner to go astray and fall in love with an unnamed man. She said their affair ended badly, leaving her with a broken heart.
She recalled that night when she sat in her bedroom and contemplated on killing herself with a gun she kept to protect herself from burglars.
"I looked at it a long time... Then, just as I picked it up, just to hold it and look at it for a moment, out little dog, Popeye, came running up the stairs," Parton said.
"The tap-tap of his paws jolted me back to reality I suddenly froze. I put the gun down," she added.
She remembered praying afterwards and promising not to entertain such grim thoughts again.
"I kinda believe Popeye was a spiritual messenger from God," said the singer. "I don't think I'd have done it, killed myself, but I can't say for sure. Now that I've gone through that terrible moment, I can certainly understand the possibilities even for someone solid like me if the pain gets bad enough."
The country singer has often spoken about her faith in God and her Christian childhood. Back in 2014, the 'Jolene' singer told of how much her faith had impacted her life and career.
"A belief in God is essential," she said.
"You have to believe in something bigger than yourself. We grew up believing that through God all things are possible. I think I believed that so much that I made it happen."
