Al Matthews dead: Aliens actor dies aged 74

"I couldn't wait to jump into bed with Burt ­Reynolds," giggles Dolly, the cheeky glint returning to her eyes.She pauses before ­laughing: "In the movie, not in real life."Not that it stopped the fevered speculation at the time.And even three years ago Burt did little to dampen the rumours when he said of the buxom star: "I got to work with her for so long that ­eventually I was looking at her face."

Now and again, he and Dolly would walk to the grocery store together and were greeted by a sea of lurid coverage of her supposed affair on the covers of magazines.

But the singer insists there was never any awkwardness between them both.

“Carl never cared about that,” Dolly laughs. “Lord, they had me sleeping with everybody – I’d have never got anything done.“And the ones I did sleep with, they don’t know about.”Given she and Burt were such huge stars at the time it’s little wonder their relationship could become fraught.“Burt and I had our little arguments and little spats,” admits Dolly.“But we were so honest with each other. In the same way Kenny Rogers and I are. We held no secrets from each other, we couldn’t fool each other.”

The pair duet on the original song Sneakin’ Around in one scene in the film – which ends with the two of them diving under the covers.

While Dolly’s voice is as recognisable as ever, it’s fair to say Burt’s range is a little more limited.

Not that Dolly thought so – in her eyes and ears he was up there with Dean Martin.