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Crystal Hefner has debuted her new romance with Hawaii businessman James Ward - and revealed the new relationship has 'healed' her.
Model Crystal, 38, who is Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner's widow, revealed her partner of five months 'values her feelings' and makes her feel like the 'real me' in a candid interview with People.
She said: 'With James, my feelings are valued, validated. I am seen and I am heard.
'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.”
'I feel accepted and more myself than ever before.'
Crystal Hefner has debuted her new romance with Hawaii businessman James Ward - and revealed the new relationship has 'healed' her
Crystal famously wed the magazine publisher in 2012 when she was 26 and he was 86. They were married until his death, aged 91, in 2017 - pictured 2010
The pair were set up by friends in April - with Ward owning his own adventure and photography tour company on Kailua-Kona since moving to Hawaii in 2013.
She told DailyMail.com: 'We are definitely looking to the future together, with James it feels different than any other relationship I’ve experienced’
‘We've shared our dreams for the future and it’s amazing how aligned we are on so many things.’
In romantic snaps obtained by DailyMail.com Crystal looks happier than ever with James as she posed up in a stylish red dress.
The pair donned matching cream ensembles as they held hands on the beach during a tropical break.
Hugh Hefner died on September 27 2017 aged 91.
Third wife Crystal - born Crystal Harris - famously wed the magazine publisher in 2012 when she was 26 and he was 86.
They were married until his death, aged 91, in 2017 as a result of heart failure and septicemia after contracting a deadly strain of e-coli. He left a reported $43 million fortune.
Earlier this year she published her explosive memoir, Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy And Finding Myself, in which she made a number of bombshell claims, including that she never loved the late magazine kingpin and she felt imprisoned in their four-year marriage.
Crystal previously told DailyMail.com that Hefner was agoraphobic and shunned most public excursions, and she shared that his seemingly luxurious Playboy mansion was in a state of decay and was infested with black mold when she lived there.
According to Hefner's wife, she had to transform herself both inside and outside in order to survive the 'cutthroat' environment that he fostered with the other women living in the mansion.
The pair shared a sweet kiss as they enjoyed a romantic break together
In romantic snaps obtained by DailyMail.com Crystal looks happier than ever with James as she posed up
The pair donned matching cream ensembles as they held hands on the beach during a tropical break
The pair were set up by friends in April - with Ward owning his own adventure and photography tour company on Kailua-Kona since moving to Hawaii in 2013
Crystal showed off her toned frame in a black wetsuit
Crystal went on to explain how he wanted her to dress and act during their time together.
'I think he wanted me to just be seen and not speak, be helpless, be small,' she explained, adding that he wanted her to 'have bleach-blond hair and stay skinny and have big, fake boobs.'
'That's part of it,' she added.
Part of their routine included the Playboy icon constantly surveying her appearance to make sure that it conformed to his expectations.
She claimed that when he spotted some of her darker roots peaking out from her dyed blond hair, he would tap her on the head to remind her to get them touched up.
Crystal also shared that she gained some weight after moving into the Playboy mansion, which Hefner allegedly couldn't get past.
She recounted how he would tap her on her thighs and tell her: 'Oh, looks like someone needs to tone up.'
The constant criticisms made her feel as if she was 'falling.'
Crystal previously told DailyMail.com that Hefner was agoraphobic and shunned most public excursions, and she shared that his seemingly luxurious Playboy mansion was in a state of decay and was infested with black mold when she lived there; pictured in 2010
For two years prior, from September 2021 until September 2023, Crystal was in a relationship with actor Ryan Malaty, 32 (pictured here in 2021)
In February 2024 DailyMail.com revealed Crystal was dating Andrew D. Corkin, who has worked with some of Hollywood's leading ladies, from Naomi Watts to Olivia Wilde - but the romance was shortlived
In February 2024 DailyMail.com revealed Crystal was dating Andrew D. Corkin, who has worked with some of Hollywood's leading ladies, from Naomi Watts to Olivia Wilde.
Her new romance was hot on the heels of her brief fling with Columbia University grad Alexander Kotzen who was 14 years her junior.
They were pictured together in October 2023, one month after she quietly split from her boyfriend of two years, 34-year-old actor Ryan Malaty.
