Hugh Hefner's widow Crystal breaks silence on new romance with James Ward

Crystal Hefner has opened up about her new relationship with boyfriend James Ward, saying she feels “seen and heard” after her “emotionally abusive” marriage to Huge Hefner.

The widow of the Playboy founder gushed about her new beau in an interview with People magazine on Wednesday.

“With James, my feelings are valued, validated,” said Crystal. “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,” she explained.

Crystal’s new relationship comes after she shared intimate details about her “abusive” marriage to late Huge.

“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 at that time.

“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,” the 38-year-old added of their marriage.

For those unversed, the Los Angeles-based model and actress was married to Hugh for five years before his passing in 2017.