Crystal Hefner, former playboy and widow of the founder of the magazine, confirmed his commitment to the tourist businessman James Wardaccording to US media.
The proposal took place on Friday, April 25 at the Hefner residence in Hawaii, where Ward organized a romantic surprise in a symbolic place for the couple.
As reported Us WeeklyWard gave Hefner a ring with a six -carat mine diamond, an old cut, mounted on an extremely thin band.
The private ceremony was held in a cliff in front of the ocean, in the same place where they both shared a picnic a year earlier, at the beginning of their relationship.
“It was the exact place where we had a quiet picnic a year ago “A place that became ‘ours,” Hefner told Page Six.
He added: “I had no idea that I was transforming it into something permanent and symbolic. I thought we were just going to walk, but when I saw the flowers, the notes written by hand and the sea spreading in front of us, I knew that something extraordinary was about to happen.”
James Ward41, owner of the tourism company Seethrough Sea, located in Kailua-Kona, on the main island of Hawaii, where it resides since 2013.
In statements a PeopleHe pointed out that preparing surprise was a challenge due to the near and transparent nature of his relationship with Hefner, 39.
“It goes against our connection hiding anything,” he said. “But there was a small force that sustained me: knowing how happy the surprise would make it.”
The businessman acknowledged that he had to resort to the help of several people to maintain the secret:
“She is intelligent and attentive, nothing escapes her. I had to try not to reveal more details. I had a lot of help from several people who made possible the best parts of the surprise. ”
The couple began their relationship in April 2024, after being presented by friends in common.
Since then, they have shared most of their time in Hawaii and have traveled together to the Cook Islands, a destination that now appears among the options for the future wedding.
“We love being in warm places and that are familiar to us. Hawaii and the Cook Islands are perfect options for us,” he explained Crystal Hefner a People. “We want to be close to nature, the ocean, and that everything is simple and beautiful”.
In September 2024, after the launch of his memoir Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myselfthe exconejita spoke publicly about her relationship with Ward, describing her as healthy and different from her previous experiences.
The book became a sales success and reviews its stage as a couple and later the wife of Hugh Hefner, with whom She was married five years until his death in 2017 at 91.
“With James, my feelings are valued and validated. I feel seen and heard”He said then.
He also stressed that the relationship has allowed him to reconnect with personal aspects that he had set aside.
“I am taking care of the true me, my adventurous spirit, my inner girl. I feel accepted and more myself than ever”He added.
Crystal Hefnerwho obtained his license as real estate agent In 2008 and has maintained an intermittent public life since the death of Hugh HefnerHe confirmed that there is still no defined date for the wedding, but that the desire of both is to celebrate it in a natural and quiet environment, without too many luxuries.
The American businessman and founder of Playboy He died on September 28, 2017 for natural causes in his residence Mansion Playboy in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles.
