Hugh Hefners widow, Crystal Hefner, 39, engaged 7 years after Playboy founders death

Fiancée next door!Hugh Hefner’s widow is ready to walk down the aisle again.Crystal Hefner, 39, is engaged to James Ward after one year of dating — and seven years after the Playboy founder died at 91.The marine biologist popped the question with a six-carat diamond ring on Friday, April 25, after spending a month in Africa to celebrate their first anniversary.Hefner confirmed the engagement and shared her vintage sparkler in an interview with Us Weekly published Friday, May 2.Ward got down on one knee at the former Playboy model’s home in Hawaii on the seaside deck he built her.The engagement took place just days before Hefner turned 39 on April 29.She spilled all about her romantic “surprise” proposal, calling it a “full-circle moment.”“James completely surprised me.

He had a hidden staircase and a winding trail cleared to reveal a handcrafted deck perched above a dramatic cliffside overlooking the ocean,” the former “Girls Next Door” star told Us Weekly.Hefner revealed the special meaning behind the proposal location.“It was the exact spot where we’d had a quiet picnic together a year ago — a place that became ‘ours,’” she said.

“I had no idea he was secretly turning it into something permanent and symbolic.I thought we were just going for a walk, but when I saw the flowers, the handwritten notes, and the sea stretching endlessly in front of us, I knew something extraordinary was about to happen.”The ex-model said as she made her way down the path, she was “puzzled” to discover a new staircase dressed with handwritten notes that were “deeply heartfelt” that overwhelmed her with emotion — but she thought it was an early birthday surprise.

“I was already tearing up when I reached the final card, which was waiting for me on the deck, overlooking the waves.At first, I thought it was an early birthday surprise,” Hefner explained.

“But the words in the notes gently hinted at something more.And when I realiz...