Country music icon Dolly Parton has revealed Miley Cyrus wanted to "murder" her Hannah Montana persona in order to make people accept her as a more grown-up musician.
The country icon admitted she was concerned when he goddaughter told her she was planning a dramatic reinvention to move away from being known as the Disney Channel character which made her famous.
Speaking to The Sun newspaper, she said: "As a little girl she was great, but then she started to grow up. And people didn't want her to grow up - they got mad at her.
"Well, that's how everyone has been with Miley. One day she'd had enough and told me, 'I need to murder Hannah Montana in order for people to accept who I really am'.
"I think she felt she had to make that severe a change. And she obviously did. I was very worried - I was holding my breath, hoping that people didn't totally crucify her."
However, the 'Jolene' hitmaker has given a warning to the 'Wrecking Ball' singer, insisting at some point the audience will draw the line themselves and could turn on her if she goes too far with her risque performances.
She added: "I'm hoping that she holds it in the road and doesn't do so many things that are that bizarre.
"I don't think the crowd would be so forgiving again if she did anything else that was really offensive. I don't want it to overshadow her talent."
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