Crystal Hefner and James Ward have been dating for a year
Crystal Hefner Gets Engaged to James Ward After a Year of Dating. Crystal Hefner is officially engaged to James Ward, eight years after the death of her husband, Hugh Hefner.
According to Us Weekly, James proposed to the model on Friday, April 25, at her Hawaii home with a “six-carat, vintage mine-cut diamond set with a whisper-thin band.”
The couple has been dating for a year.
Speaking about the proposal, Crystal told the outlet, “It really feels like a full-circle moment. James completely surprised me. He had a hidden staircase and a winding path that was cleared to reveal a dramatic cliffside setting overlooking the ocean.”
“It was the same place where we had a quiet picnic together a year ago — a place that had become ‘ours.’ I had no idea he was secretly turning it into something permanent and symbolic,” she shared.
“I thought we were just going for a walk, but when I saw the flowers, the handwritten notes, and the ocean stretching endlessly before me, I knew something extraordinary was about to happen.”
Crystal Hefner Short Bio
Crystal Hefner (née Harris) is an American entrepreneur, real estate investor, and multimedia personality, best known as the third wife of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. Born on April 29, 1986, in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, she was raised in England and later moved to San Diego, California. After studying psychology at San Diego State University, she gained prominence as Playboy’s Playmate of the Month in December 2009 and appeared on the reality series The Girls Next Door. She married Hefner in December 2012, remaining with him until his death in 2017. Since then, she has transitioned into real estate, flipping properties and serving as president of the Hugh M. Hefner Foundation. In 2024, she published her memoir, Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself, detailing her experiences at the Playboy Mansion and her journey toward healing. Crystal is also the host of the podcast Beneath the Surface, which explores themes of health, love, and self-worth. In May 2025, she became engaged to marine biologist James Ward, marking a new chapter in her personal life.
