Dolly Parton: 'I live on my bus'

Country music legend Dolly Parton has mastered life on the road.

The 70-year-old singer is currently preparing to kick off her latest Pure & Simple North American concert series, during which she will play shows in 60 cities, and she insists you won't find her staying in fancy four-star hotels.

"I live on my bus, she tells People magazine. "I don't stay in hotels at all... (and) I don't have the hassle of airports..."

Her tour bus is very fancy and with all the amenities on offer, the vehicle may even trump the luxurious facilities of top accommodations. It boasts two bedrooms, two bathrooms and it even has a kitchen stocked with all the delicious Southern meals the Tennessee native eats at home.

"I cook a lot of food before going (out on tour) and I put it in the freezer," she shares. "I'll cook country things, like chicken and dumplings."

However, now that she's in her Golden Years, Dolly can no longer eat as many pieces of fried chicken as she did in her youth.

"I have to stay on a low-carb diet when I'm on the road because my show clothes are so tight and I can't afford to gain like I used to in the past," she explains. "There is nothing more uncomfortable than trying to wear those tight-a** clothes when you're too big for them! I have to work at it 'cause I'm a little old thing. I'm just 5'1" and I still have that country girl appetite, so I have to watch it. I just cheat on holidays and special days and then eat the things I really love."

Dolly's Pure & Simple Tour kicks off on 3 June (16) in Greensboro, North Carolina and will conclude in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, the home of where Parton's themepark Dollywood, on 15 November (16).