Comedian Rob Brydon visited Dollywood in his BBC series Rob Brydon's Honky Tonk road trip
Gavin and Stacey star Rob Brydon says he "regrets" turning down the chance to interview Dolly Parton after choosing to stay on a family holiday.
Brydon fronted the BBC documentary series Honky Tonk Road Trip, where he travelled across the American South to celebrate 100 years of country music.
In it he visited Dollywood, a theme park created by Parton, where Dolly's relatives had traced the lineage of the Parton and Owens sides to Wales.
He was told he could interview Parton if he returned after filming had ended, but chose to stay on his family holiday in Arizona – an opportunity he now wished he had taken because he never got to meet her before she died.
Parton died peacefully in hospital in Nashville on 25 August following a brief battle with cancer. She was admitted to hospital four days before her death with kidney and autoimmune issues.
"I sort of regret it now," he told Lucy Owen during an interview on BBC Radio Wales.
"I kind of wish that I had gone back because I never met her."
Dolly Parton's Welsh connections had been revisited by staff at Conwy council's archives
During the interview, Owen compared Brydon "encouraging children to pick up a book" with Parton's dedication to support children through literacy with her Imagination Library scheme.
The global book-gifting scheme delivers one free book every month to children from birth until they turn five years old.
Owen told him that it felt "like a really lovely circle".
"That hadn't occurred to me, but yeah, you're right," Brydon said.
The Cat in the Cupboard follows Crumble the ginger cat on his garden adventures
The Welsh actor and comedian's debut children's book – The Cat in The Cupboard – will be published on 10 September.
