Dolly Parton Is ‘Trying to Do Too Much Too Soon’ Amid Health Issues: She’s ‘Still Very Unsteady’

Those closest to Dolly Parton are begging her to slow down, dishes a source.

As Examiner previously reported, the country music icon, 80, sparked concern after a shaky public appearance at the grand opening of her new Tennessee travel center, Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Shop, on Wednesday, June 24, left fans worried about her health.

“Dolly has been climbing the walls these past few months because she’s so desperate to get back out there and see people again,” the source says of the “9 to 5” singer, who was forced to postpone her Las Vegas concert residency last year in order to undergo “a few procedures.”

“Sitting at home has never suited her and she’s been itching to get back to work, so getting out for this appearance meant the world to her,” notes the source. “The trouble is, everyone around her could see she was still very unsteady and needed people by her side the whole time, which only reinforced their fears that she’s trying to do too much too soon.”

Parton, however, came away from the experience “wanting to book more appearances because it gave her such a life,” Examiner‘s source reveals.

“She’s always been someone who pushes through no matter what,” admits the source. “But she clearly isn’t in any fit state just yet and everyone is worried she’s going to set herself back by trying to prove she’s ready before she really is.”

The “Jolene” singer acknowledged as much in a video posted to Instagram on May 4, saying that while she was “responding really well to meds and treatments,” she wasn’t yet ready to return to the stage for her rescheduled Las Vegas concert dates.

Adds the source: “They keep telling her there’s absolutely no rush and nobody expects her to bounce back overnight.”