Dolly Parton has recreated a Playboy photoshoot from 1978 to surprise her husband for his 79th birthday.

The country music superstar, 75, slipped into a Playboy bunny suit complete with the famous ears as a present to Carl Dean, who she married in 1966.

Parton said Dean had always been fond of her cover from more than 40 years ago. She said she would have liked to have graced the magazine this year to celebrate her own landmark birthday but it is no longer being printed.

Instead, she produced a homemade version.

In a video shared with her Instagram followers, the Jolene singer said: “Remember some time back I said I was going to pose on Playboy magazine when I’m 75? Well, I’m 75 and they don’t have a magazine anymore, but my husband always loved the original cover of Playboy.

“So I was trying to think of something to do to make him happy. He still thinks I’m a hot chick after 57 years and I’m not going to try to talk him out of that.”

Parton sat for a photoshoot and had a new cover made to go alongside the original one.

Comparing the two, she said: “I was kind of a little butterball in that one, well I’m string cheese now. But he’ll probably think I’m cream cheese – I hope!”

Parton included a picture of her surprising Dean, though only showed the back of his head, seemingly a nod to their famously private marriage.

She captioned the post: “It’s always #HotGirlSummer for my husband, Carl.

“Happy birthday my love!”