Dolly Parton has exceeded any humdrum day job a million times over –boasting a career that has spanned over 60 years.

Now at 79, the country sweetheart is still a pint sized force to be reckoned with, boasting not only a music career that continues to sell out stadiums worldwide, but an a multi-million dollar business empire encompassing everything from the Dollywood franchise, right down to saucepan collaborations and her pet food brand, Doggy Parton.

But last month fans were left devastated when Dolly announced on social media that she will be delaying her upcoming sell-out residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas over concerns for her health.

She wrote, ‘As many of you know, I have been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures. As I joked with them, it must be time for my 100,000-mile check-up, although it’s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon!’

And after her uncharacteristic cancellations sparked fear among her fears, Dolly added earlier this month, ‘I’m not ready to die yet. I don’t think God is through with me, and I ain’t done working.’

It is not known what exact procedures Dolly is set to undergo, but after her sister Frieda led fans to panic after requesting they ‘pray’ for her, her manager released a statement to confirm that it is ‘just kidney stones’.

However, while Dolly promised well-wishers that she would continue to work on projects from her home in Nashville, a source now tells heat that the much-loved star has privately been sending her loved ones into yet another panic as she refuses to rest, leading to fears that she could only be making things worse.

We’re told, ‘Dolly doesn’t know the meaning of sitting still, she’s doing her best but it’s driving her absolutely batty being confined to bed or pottering around the house and not going full tilt.

‘It’s understandable to a degree because her hard wiring means that being a workaholic is second nature. But the worry is that she’s once again pushing herself without taking the adequate rest.

‘And unless she learns to pace herself, put her phone down and properly turn off , her relentlessness could ultimately lead to a major problem for her health.’

And this isn’t the first time Dolly has pushed through her pain to prioritise her career, having collapsed on stage in 1984, only to later discover that she had been suffering from endometriosis, which led to her undergoing a partial hysterectomy aged 36.

Again, in 2015, Dolly revealed she had undergone an operation to remove kidney stones, but had continued filming her movie, Coat of Many Colors, just three weeks later.

However, a decade later and with Dolly set to celebrate her 80th birthday in January, the source says her loved ones are urging her to take a step back, if only just for a few months.

‘Dolly’s loved ones are begging her to slow down,’ the insider says.

‘It’s amazing that she still has this sort of drive and energy but it’s also very worrisome because her doctors have told her to rest and she just can’t seem to sit still. Her team is trying to help by taking things off her plate, but it’s not easy because she still insists on approving every single decision, right down to Dollywood’s holiday menu.’

They add, ‘They’re trying to spin it positively and say she’s just staying active, but privately they’re scared. She pushes herself past exhaustion and ignores every warning sign, insisting she’s fine and that she’s just built differently.

But with the festive season fast approaching, there’s no denying that for cookie-loving, glitter-tastic Dolly, Christmas is her busiest season.

And last week she was showing no signs of letting it pass as she took to social media to promote everything from her Good American jeans line, to chocolate chip cookies and her new range of sparkling Christmas cookware.

Now the source says that Dolly is also hands-on at her Dollywood entertainment empire in Tennessee, where she’s busy creating the best experiences for guests – and won’t be told otherwise.

They tell us, ‘She’s still being very hands-on with Dollywood and all its staffing matters, checking in with her business team about day-to-day decisions, humming her lines and even checking in to see if some of her older friends are doing okay.

‘She just won’t listen. Dolly says that she’s been working her whole life and she’d rather go out with her boots on. She’s up all hours of the night sending messages to her team and then first thing in the morning she’s back at it.

‘Even though she’s supposed to be taking a break, she’s still fully involved in every aspect of her many, many business ventures.’

Sadly, pals also fear that Dolly’s relentless pursuit of work could also be a result of losing her husband of nearly 60 years, businessman Carl Dean, who died in March of this year aged 82.

The couple had met when Dolly was just 19 and had remained faithful to each other for the rest of their lives.

And we’re now told, ‘Everyone’s saying it’s her way of coping with the heartbreak of losing Carl. His death has been so much harder on her than she’ll admit and her way of coping with pain and loneliness is to get busy, so having to cancel her shows and stay put has been brutal.

‘But People are begging her to think about the bigger picture. She’s not 25 anymore, and the health scares she’s had recently are no joke. She’s been in pain and she’s barely sleeping.

They add, ‘But Dolly’s stubborn streak runs deep. She says she doesn’t want to disappoint anyone but it’s obvious she’s running away from her grief. Slowing down would have to mean facing the loss of Carl head-on, and that’s just too hard.’