Heidi Montag Recalls Dolly Parton Defending Her Amid Plastic Surgery Criticism

Heidi Montag is remembering the kindness the late Dolly Parton showed her during one of the most heavily criticized periods of her life.

Following news of Parton’s death earlier this week, Montag took to X on Friday night to pay tribute to the country music legend, recalling how Parton defended her after she underwent plastic surgery .

“When I was at one of the hardest and most criticized moment of my life after my plastic surgery, Dolly was one of the only people in the industry who didn’t take the opportunity to drag me down,” Montag wrote. Related Stories News CNN Apologizes for Using Photo of Tribute Artist in Dolly Parton Report Music Dolly Parton Famously Turned Down Elvis. Can Songwriters Do the Same Now?

According to Montag, she recalled that Parton said at the time, “I had probably done the same thing if I was her age and could afford it, if I thought I needed it.”

In 2009, Montag famously underwent 10 plastic surgery procedures in one day, including breast augmentation, a nose job revision and chin reduction. She faced intense scrutiny over the procedures, with the aftermath documented on The Hills , including a heartbreaking scene in which she revealed her new appearance to her mother.

Montag also remembered a much earlier encounter with Parton, recalling that the singer visited her small town when she was seven years old.

“Thank you Dolly. I remember when she came to my small town when I was seven years old, ate at my family restaurant, sang happy birthday to my Grammy, and it changed my life,” she wrote. “She has always been an inspiration to me. Such a blessing from afar. God bless you thank you Lord for this angel on earth.”

Parton died Tuesday from cancer at age 80. Throughout her decades in the spotlight, the “9 to 5” singer was candid about her decision to undergo plastic surgery and her opinion on cosmetic procedures.

“I have nips and tucks and trims and sucks, boobs and waist and butt and such, eyes and chin and back again, pills and peels and other frills, and I’ll never graduate from collagen,” she wrote in her autobiography Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business (via Us Weekly ). “Whatever you are comfortable with and can afford, you should do. Having had plastic surgery is something I am not embarrassed about.”