Hugh Hefner's wife Crystal Harris weds again
Crystal Harris and James Ward have eloped to Aitutaki, one of the Cook Islands.
Crystal Harris and James Ward have tied the knot.
The former Playboy model - who was previously married to Playboy founder Hugh Hefner from 2012 until his death in 2017 – eloped with Ward to Aitutaki, one of the Cook Islands, where they wed on Thursday (04.02.26).
Crystal, 39, told PEOPLE: “We chose the Cook Islands because of how remote it is. There are no big chain hotels, which makes it feel incredibly peaceful and authentic. It’s also home to one of the most beautiful lagoons in the world. Since James and I both love the ocean and nature it felt like the perfect place for us to start this chapter of our lives."
Crystal and James decided on a simple wedding with no guests.
She explained: "Because the wedding is small, it allowed us to focus on the meaningful details rather than managing a large event. We didn’t want a huge production. We wanted something quiet and personal where we could really be present with each other and the moment.
“Marriage means choosing each other every day and building a life based on trust, support, and partnership.”
And James, 42, said he feels like the “luckiest guy alive” after tying the knot with Crystal.
He said: “Crystal’s heart, specifically for me and all non-human living things, is a thing to behold. All creatures, great and small are bestowed a generosity and kindness, the likes of which I’ve never seen. She’s the classiest, brainiest, most adventure-seeking partner I could have ever hoped to find. My life is now better in every way, and I feel like the luckiest guy alive that I get to spend my life with her."
The couple – who met through mutual friends in Hawaii in 2024 - shared their first dance to Safe With Me by Ike Dweck.
Crystal said: “That song perfectly represents us. It’s the first time in my life I’ve truly felt safe and protected in a relationship. He is incredibly supportive and grounding [and makes me feel] "safe, encouraged, and free to be completely [myself]."
Meanwhile, Crystal previously claimed she only loved her first husband Hugh Hefner - who died in 2017 aged 91 - like an elderly relative.
She wrote in her memoir Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself: “Life in the (Playboy) mansion wasn’t the fairy tale I had once hoped it would be.
“From the outside, sure, it had all the trappings of a fairy tale. But it wasn’t, and everyone who lived there knew it.
“I was never in love with Hef, but I loved this old man in the ways you are supposed to love your elders.
“In the ways you are supposed to love someone who is nearing the end of a long and complicated life.”
She said she was so worried about keeping him happy she lost all sense of self and “became whatever he wanted”.
After a series of surgeries, Crystal announced in 2022 she had “everything fake” removed from her body.
She also reflected on the "really big power imbalance" of her marriage.
She told PEOPLE magazine: "I was dealing with a really big power imbalance. It seemed like a world of success and fantasy, but everyone’s having to sleep with an 80 year old. There’s a price. Everything has a price.”
