Crystal Hefner is blown away by all the support she has received since unveiling her new relationship with marine biologist James Ward.
“I am deeply moved by the overwhelming love and support we’ve received,” Hugh Hefner’s widow, 38, says in an exclusive statement to Page Six.
“It truly means the world to me knowing how much people care.”
Crystal says publishing her memoir, “Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself,” earlier this year was a “significant” part of her healing process after enduring an “emotionally abusive” marriage to Hugh.
The former Playmate adds that she is “incredibly grateful” to be in “such a positive place now” in her current relationship.
Crystal hard-launched her romance with Ward earlier this week, telling Us Weekly, “I’ve never felt like I’ve had someone that truly protects me. And in this relationship, I feel like I have a protector.”
The couple started dating in April after being set up by mutual friends, she told the magazine.
Ward first shared social media photos with the model in July, and they have continuously posted glimpses of their romantic and active adventures all around the world since.
“I’m nurturing the real me, my adventurous spirit, my inner child,” she told People in an interview published Wednesday.
“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 added.
Ward, a marine biologist, runs a Hawaii-based ocean excursion company called SeeThroughSee after leaving his corporate job in 2013.
The eco tour business offers deep-sea adventures like Kona whale watching, mermaid photo shoots, afternoon cruises and week-long diving tours, according to its website.
The oceanographer and Crystal have both documented their adventures on Instagram, including summer trips to the Cook Islands and Mexico.
Crystal was married to Hugh from 2012 until his death in 2017.
The Playboy founder was 91.
Crystal opened up about her toxic marriage to Hugh in January, telling E! News, “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.”
She called their tumultuous partnership “traumatic” — and later told People that they were never in love.
“I realized I was dealing with a really big power imbalance,” she said at the time, adding that she “lost [herself] in the process.”
