Hugh Hefner’s widow Crystal delighted to have found new boyfriend after ’emotionally abusive’ marriage to Playboy founder
Hugh Hefner’s widow Crystal Hefner says she is looking at life with a new perspective thanks to her new boyfriend James Ward.
The former Playmate — who released her memoir “Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself” earlier this year — opened up about her relationship with Ward and reflected on her “emotionally abusive” marriage to the late Playboy founder.
“With James, my feelings are valued, validated,” Crystal told People in an interview published Wednesday. “I am seen and I am heard.”
Crystal, 38, was married to Hugh for five years before his death in 2017. He died at the age of 91.
After taking time to heal from her pain, the bestselling author revealed she now has a different perspective on her relationship with Ward.
“I’m nurturing my true self, my adventurous spirit, my inner child,” she said. “I feel like I’ve become the person I always needed to be as a child. I feel more accepted and more like myself than I ever have.”
The new couple began dating in April with the support of mutual friends, US Weekly reports.
Ward, 41, owns SeeThrough Sea in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, where he offers adventure and photography tours. He has lived in the Aloha State since 2013, according to his website.
Crystal’s new romance comes after she revealed intimate details about her marriage to Hugh while promoting her memoir in January, even describing their relationship as “tragic.”
“The way he treated me made me think, OK, this man can’t really love me,” Crystal told E! News at the time.
She said of her marriage, “It was emotionally abusive. It was very restrictive. I didn’t realize how bad it was until I was away from it for a while.”
Crystal also made headlines that month when she admitted she was never “in love” with her late husband.
“I realized that I was really dealing with a huge power imbalance,” she told People at the time, adding that she “felt lost… [herself] in the process.”
