Gay icon Dolly Parton has spoken in favour of gay marriage, despite it not being legal in her home state.

While Tennessee is still one of the 33 states that forbids same-sex couples to marry, the Jolene singer told the Daily Mail that she is all for equality.

She said, “I didn’t know any gay people in my childhood. I do have a lot of gays in my family now, but some will never come out.

“I think everyone should be with who they love. I don’t want to be controversial or stir up a bunch of trouble but people are going to love who they are going to love.”

The 68 year-old, who has been married for almost 50 years, joked, “I think gay couples should be allowed to marry. They should suffer just like us heterosexuals.”

Despite having a long-time husband, Dolly has been caught up in a few lesbian rumours over the years, with many speculating her friend Judy Ogle is actually her lover. Dolly maintains that the two are not lesbians and compared their friendship to BBFs Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King.

“Like Gayle, her friend, Judy, my friend … they just think that you just can’t be that close to somebody,” she said .

“Judy and I have been best friends since we were like in the third and fourth grade. We still just have a great friendship and relationship and I love her as much as I love anybody in the whole world, but we’re not romantically involved.”