Dolly Parton 'tickled pink' with Welsh ancestry interest as niece says 'it's Conwy, not Tenby'

Dolly Parton says she is "tickled pink" with fans' interest in her Welsh roots, with her niece revealing the American icon singer's roots trace back to Conwy.

It had been reported that the country music star's ancestry had been traced to Tenby, Pembrokeshire, but Dolly's niece - fellow singer-songwriter Jada Star - said it's actually Conwy instead.

The country singer, born in Tennessee, is making a documentary about her UK roots due to be released later this year.

A clip played on BBC Radio 4 heard Dolly say: "Hi there, it's Dolly Parton and I'm tickled pink that you're so curious about my UK roots. I can't give away all my secrets just yet.

"You'll have to tune in to our documentaries later this year to find out all the juicy details. Thank you for having my wonderful niece Jada on the show today."

Dolly Rebecca Parton was born in Sevierville, Tennessee, on January 19, 1946, to parents Robert Lee Parton and Avie Lee Owens.

Niece Jada told the radio show: "The Owens part of the family, Dolly's mother, came, they believe, from Wales.

"It's actually not from Tenby... but it's Conwy. It's near Conwy where the Owens family is from. And then we also have surprises about her father's side of the family, the Parton's side."

When asked how she felt to discover Welsh roots of the Parton family, Jada said: "I think it's so wonderful. Genealogy helps unite us and kind of helps expand the world for us, from where we are to where we came from, and I love that part of it.

"So getting to find out that side of our family is really extraordinary, especially with all the things we're finding out about our connections with music and how that's always been with us is really wonderful. It's really a lot of fun."

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