Hugh Hefner’s widow is ‘valued’ in new romance after ’emotionally abusive’ marriage to Playboy mogul

Crystal Hefner, who was married to the Hugh Hefner from 2012 until his death in 2017, has been dating Hawaii-based adventure business owner James Ward since April

Crystal Hefner has moved on from her relationship with Hugh Hefner

Crystal Hefner has opened up about her newfound love and feeling “seen and heard” after moving on from her “emotionally abusive” marriage to Hugh Hefner.

At 38, the former Playboy model is enjoying a new romance with Hawaiian adventure business owner James Ward. Speaking about her new man, Crystal gushed: “With James, my feelings are valued, validated.”

Her new relationship comes following Hugh’s death in 2017. Crystal was married to the Playboy founder for five years before he died and later admitted she was “never in love” with him. She also accused Hugh of being “emotionally abusive” while promoting her memoir, Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself.

Now, Crystal has said she feels “seen and heard” in her relationship with James. She added: “I’m nurturing the real me, my adventurous spirit, my inner child.”

Crystal Hefner was previously married to Hugh Hefner ( Image: Getty Images North America)

She’s now dating James Ward ( Image: _jimward_/Instagram)
Speaking to People Magazine, Crystal opened up about how much she’s changed thanks to her new relationship. She explained: “I feel like I’ve become the person I always needed when I was growing up. I feel accepted and more myself than ever before.”

Crystal and James first started dating back in April after meeting through mutual friends. In a heartfelt reveal without dropping names, the ex-Playmate confided to the Daily Mail previously: “I have met somebody who is wonderful, kind, caring, normal. It’s everything. It is a beautiful relationship.”

James owns SeeThrough Sea on Kailua-Kona in Hawaii and provides adventure and photography tours. Crystal’s new relationship comes after she spoke out against her late husband while promoting her memoir in January.

“In some ways that he treated me, I just felt, OK, this guy can’t really be in love with me,” she told E! News. “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.”

She also said there was a “really big power imbalance” in their relationship and admitted she “lost” herself in their marriage. During the memoir interviews, Crystal also shockingly claimed she had never been “in love” with Hugh.