Crystal Hefner, 38, the former wife and widow of Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner, has been struggling in the dating scene since her late husband’s passing in 2017. But after taking some time to heal and find herself, she’s recently debuted a new boyfriend.
According to Page Six, her new boyfriend is 41-year-old James Ward. James has lived in Hawaii since 2013 and operates a company that hosts adventure and photography tours. They were first set up by friends and hit it off quickly.
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In an interview with People Magazine, Crystal gushed about her new hubby, saying she feels more accepted and like herself than ever before. She also feels valued, validated, and like she’s being both seen and heard in the relationship. Despite a string of bad relationships, she says the current relationship feels healthy and that she’s “so lucky.”
This new relationship comes a few years after her husband Hugh Hefner passed away in 2017. She was married to him for 5 years. According to US Magazine, they first met him when she was 21 years old and was attending a Halloween party at the Playboy Mansion.
Hugh eventually proposed to her a few years later in 2010. They officially got married in 2012. He was 60 years older than her and had been married a couple of times prior.
Hugh and Crystal Didn’t Have a Happy Marriage
While Hugh often talked about how happy he was in the marriage to Crystal, it turns out that Crystal may not have been as joyful. She recently released a memoir titled “Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself.” Today shared that, in it, she revealed that living in the mansion was like living in a prison.
She said she had to be home by a certain time every day or he’d be upset. Crystal also claimed that he was a narcissist who wanted control of the women living in the mansion. This even included a weekly event where he would make the women ask him for their “allowance.”
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Overall, she felt he was very controlling and frequently used and manipulated her for his own gain. In the book, she also speaks about what happens inside the home, including the parties and Hugh’s large collection of drugs.
During the promotion for the memoir, she also said the marriage was traumatic, emotionally abusive, and restrictive. Crystal added that she didn’t know how bad of a situation it was until she was able to get away from it. Crystal also said there was a major power imbalance in the relationship, too.
While she’s been through a lot over the years, it seems as if Crystal Hefner is finally happy. She has a new boyfriend who loves and cares about her. While they’ve only been together for a few months, it seems she’s in a good place.
