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Crystal Hefner Is in a ‘Happy, Healed Place’ With New Boyfriend James Ward After Hugh Hefner’s Death
Crystal Hefner (née Harris) opened up about her “happy” relationship with her new boyfriend, James Ward, seven years after the death of her late husband, Hugh Hefner.
“I’ve done a lot of healing that was very necessary since the mansion,” Crystal, 38, told Us Weekly in an interview published on Wednesday, September 18. “I didn’t know what it was like to be in a healthy relationship. Sometimes, it feels foreign. But I believe that as long as you keep working on it, your brain kind of rewires itself, and you can be in a really happy, healed place.”
Crystal first met James, who works as a marine biologist, when she relocated to Hawaii after Hugh died in 2017 at the age of 91. She admitted that dating – especially in Los Angeles – had always been hard, so it was refreshing to meet James.
“Finding someone that you get along with so well is hard,” she continued. “And everyone has different things they’re bringing in.”
Crystal explained that she and James, 41, were set up by mutual friends in April, adding that she agreed to meet him after her friends said he was a “nice guy.” She said the pair “hit it off” while bonding over their shared love of nature.
“It’s just been this beautiful thing ever since,” she told the outlet. “I’ve never felt like I’ve had someone that truly protects me. And in this relationship, I feel like I have a protector.”
While Crystal and Hugh – whom she married in 2012 – had a large age gap, she explained that her romance with James was different because they know “a lot of the same references” due to being close in age.
“The relationship with Hef was, it was more one-sided. Like I always wanted to make sure that he was happy and that he had everything he needed,” the former Playboy Bunny, who has been open about the power imbalance in their relationship – said. “I’m such a people pleaser, so, I always was that way toward Hef, like always people pleasing, making sure he was OK. The mansion and the world revolved around Hef. So, this is the first time where I feel it’s very reciprocal.”
While speaking to the outlet, James explained that he wasn’t familiar with Crystal prior to them meeting. He then added that he’s looking forward to what their future looks like together.
“It’s been a really big point of pride for me to nourish and encourage the next chapter as opposed to really dwelling on the past,” he said. “I’m happy to leave that chapter as a profound but closed chapter.”
Crystal and James have already experienced relationship milestones together, including going on vacations to Los Angeles, Disneyland and the Cook Islands. She explained that they “travel really well together” because of his “easy going” nature.
“I really wanna be in the Cook Islands with him because it’s such a romantic place. And there’s being with him here, there’s just this calm energy,” the Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself author continued. “Everything feels just beautiful and like extra special [when] there’s love involved.”
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