Crystal Hefner feels “validated” in new relationship after "traumatic" marriage with Hugh Hefner

Crystal Hefner discussed her relationship with James Ward and her previous five-year marriage to the late Hugh Hefner.

Crystal Hefner, widow of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, has spoken about how her new relationship with James Ward has brought her a renewed sense of validation and emotional safety. 

Speaking to People, Crystal shared how she feels seen and valued in ways she hadn’t experienced during her marriage to Hugh Hefner, which she previously described as “emotionally abusive.”

“With James, my feelings are valued, validated,” Crystal explained in the interview, adding that she now feels truly heard in her new relationship. Crystal, now 38, was married to Hugh Hefner for five years until his death in 2017, when he passed away at 91.

After releasing her memoir, Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself, earlier this year, Crystal has been candid about her struggles in her marriage to Hugh and the healing process that followed. Reflecting on her new relationship, she shared, “I’m nurturing the real me, my adventurous spirit, my inner child. I feel like I’ve become the person I always needed when I was growing up.”

Crystal began dating James Ward, 41, in April after being introduced by mutual friends. Ward owns SeeThrough Sea, an adventure and photography tour company in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, where he has lived since 2013.

Her openness about her past relationship with Hugh Hefner has garnered attention, with Crystal describing the marriage as “traumatic” and “emotionally abusive” during interviews promoting her memoir. “It was very restrictive,” she told E! News, admitting that she didn’t realize the severity of the situation until after leaving it.