EXCLUSIVECountry Strong! How Country Queens Carrie Underwood, Dolly Parton & Faith Hill Navigated A Challenging Year
Dec. 4 2021, Published 12:01 a.m. ET
These country divas have gone through difficult times and have come out better on the other side! Nashville stars like Carrie Underwood, Dolly Parton & Faith Hill detail how they have tackled the challenges in their life in the past few years.
Sixteen years after winning American Idol, Underwood is still hustling, recently performing at the AMAs, where she nabbed two trophies of her own. But the megastar, 38, has subtly shifted priorities in recent months, making an effort to reconnect with her retired hockey player hubby, Mike Fisher, and their sons, Isaiah, 6, and Jacob, 2.
“Mike’s at home more, and especially during lockdown, there was a new dynamic to their relationship,” spills a source. “They take afternoon walks, have long talks and cook together.” As the "Church Bells" singer gears up for a grueling Las Vegas residency, “she’s taking what she’s learned this last year and intends to balance work and family.”
Working nine to five? Try five decades and counting! During the pandemic, Parton took a much-needed pause, channeling her boundless energy into spending time with her hubby of 55 years, Carl Dean, and helping fund a Covid vaccine.
But she “missed being around people,” notes a pal, who insists the break only strengthened the country icon's sense of purpose as a born performer. The 75-year-old legend proved her stamina with a career-spanning Oct. 24 concert and is gearing up to guest star on Grace & Frankie, open a new Dollywood resort and publish a suspense novel (co-authored with James Patterson). Adds the friend, “One thing about Dolly is, she never quits.”
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Hill, 54, has long been gaga for her husband of 25 years, Tim McGraw (see: multiple heart-melting ballad duets) — and recently, the smitten duo have only upped the ante. Ever since youngest daughter Audrey, 19, graduated high school last year, empty nest-hood has “brought Faith and Tim even closer,” shares an insider.
“They find they have more time together.” And they can’t get enough of it: The singers dove headfirst into costarring in the Yellowstone prequel, 1883, after “lockdown showed them how strong their bond is.
So much so, they could envision taking on a new challenge side by side,” says the insider. “Tim’s the love of Faith’s life, after all.”
