AHEAD OF TELLING HER STORY OF LIFE IN THE PLAYBOY MANSION CRYSTAL HEFNER ON FINDING HAPPINESS IN HAWAII, TRAVELLING THE WORLD AND LEARNING TO DATE AGAIN
HELLO! UK|September 04, 2023
Nestled amid waterfalls in Hawaii, a tiny house has become the happiest place in the world for Crystal Hefner - and a far cry from the extravagance of her years as the wife of the Playboy magazine mogul Hugh.
LILY WADDELL
AHEAD OF TELLING HER STORY OF LIFE IN THE PLAYBOY MANSION CRYSTAL HEFNER ON FINDING HAPPINESS IN HAWAII, TRAVELLING THE WORLD AND LEARNING TO DATE AGAIN

"It's a little sanctuary, my slice of paradise," the 37-year-old model tells HELLO!. "Seeing the views, looking out to the ocean and the cliffs, it's very resetting. Those years feel like a lifetime ago now."

Crystal bought the six-and-a-halfacre estate in 2021, but deliberately built a small property.

"I didn't want a big house because I didn't want to disrupt the land," she says. "I looked into different options, found a tiny house company and started designing a tiny house - it's 290sq ft, but is set in acres."

Although her home is on Hawaii island, the largest in the archipelago, Crystal's thoughts are on the wildfires that raged on neighbouring Maui. She says: "Hawaii really needs help right now. Please donate to Maui organisations and the people affected. If you've ever vacationed and experienced the beauty here, please give back and help."

Her life now could not be more different from those years as a Playboy cover model and the third wife of the tycoon, whom she married in 2012, almost five years before his death from heart failure and sepsis at the age of 91.

Of the years of parties at the "mysterious and alluring" Playboy Mansion, where she lived with Hugh - "Hef", as she and his friends called him and around 70 members of staff, she says: "It's taken me until now to process what happened. Hef was a very charming and powerful man. He came across as very gentle and kind when I first met him."

Despite the charm, she admits she had concerns about the 60-year age gap, saying: "We'd do interviews and I'd say: 'Oh, the age gap doesn't matter,' and of course it matters.

Who am I fooling? People say: 'What about kids?' I'm like: 'It's not gonna work - this child will be a certain age with no father.' But all of those real thoughts, you push them down.

This story is from the September 04, 2023 edition of HELLO! UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September 04, 2023 edition of HELLO! UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM HELLO! UKView All
STARS TURN OUT FOR THE EARTHSHOT PRIZE THE PRINCE OF WALES ROYAL HEADS TO CAPE TOWN FOR PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS CEREMONY
HELLO! UK

STARS TURN OUT FOR THE EARTHSHOT PRIZE THE PRINCE OF WALES ROYAL HEADS TO CAPE TOWN FOR PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS CEREMONY

The Prince of Wales's love for Africa is well known: it is where he spent his gap year before heading to university.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 11, 2024
FAMOUS NAMES TURN OUT FOR HALLOWEEN FRIGHT NIGHT STARS GO THE EXTRA MILE FOR SPOOKY STYLE
HELLO! UK

FAMOUS NAMES TURN OUT FOR HALLOWEEN FRIGHT NIGHT STARS GO THE EXTRA MILE FOR SPOOKY STYLE

It may have been spooky season, but that was no excuse for stylish celebrities to abandon their sartorial flair.

time-read
1 min  |
November 11, 2024
BIDDING A BITTERSWEET FAREWELL TO 'VENOM' TRILOGY TOM HARDY ON FLYING HIGH, LOSING HIS TEMPER AND BEING INSPIRED IN HIS CHILLING MARVEL ROLE BY SON LOUIS
HELLO! UK

BIDDING A BITTERSWEET FAREWELL TO 'VENOM' TRILOGY TOM HARDY ON FLYING HIGH, LOSING HIS TEMPER AND BEING INSPIRED IN HIS CHILLING MARVEL ROLE BY SON LOUIS

When Tom Hardy attended the UK premiere of Venom: The Last Dance in London, he was accompanied by a very special fan.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 11, 2024
STARRING IN A NEW LOVE STORY WITH LIAM HEMSWORTH LAURA DERN TALKS OF THEIR CONNECTION - AND WHY VULNERABLE WOMEN ARE SUPERHEROES
HELLO! UK

STARRING IN A NEW LOVE STORY WITH LIAM HEMSWORTH LAURA DERN TALKS OF THEIR CONNECTION - AND WHY VULNERABLE WOMEN ARE SUPERHEROES

The beautiful and dramatic scenery of Morocco's Atlas Mountains is the backdrop for Laura Dern's new film Lonely Planet, a love story in which she plays novelist Katherine opposite Liam Hemsworth's private equity hotshot Owen.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 11, 2024
GRANDDAUGHTER OF LADY PAMELA HICKS MADDISON MAY BRUDENELL AND BRET KAPETANOV UNITE THEIR DIFFERENT WORLDS! IN SOCIETY COUNTRY WEDDING
HELLO! UK

GRANDDAUGHTER OF LADY PAMELA HICKS MADDISON MAY BRUDENELL AND BRET KAPETANOV UNITE THEIR DIFFERENT WORLDS! IN SOCIETY COUNTRY WEDDING

In a heartwarming ceremony filled with love, Lady Pamela Hicks's granddaughter Maddison May Brudenell said: \"I will\" at a 15th-century village church in one of the most extraordinary society weddings of the year - and HELLO! was there to witness the historic occasion.

time-read
9 mins  |
November 11, 2024
SPEAKING OUT IN POWERFUL NEW DOCUMENTARY THE QUEEN SHOWS HER PASSIONATE COMMITMENT TO SUPPORTING VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE AND THEIR FAMILIES
HELLO! UK

SPEAKING OUT IN POWERFUL NEW DOCUMENTARY THE QUEEN SHOWS HER PASSIONATE COMMITMENT TO SUPPORTING VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE AND THEIR FAMILIES

The Queen has vowed to keep fighting for victims of domestic saying: Keep until I am able to no more.\"

time-read
3 mins  |
November 11, 2024
PRINCESS BEATRICE AND NUTRITIONIST GABRIELA PEACOCK
HELLO! UK

PRINCESS BEATRICE AND NUTRITIONIST GABRIELA PEACOCK

HOW THE FRIENDS ARE SHARING THEIR PREGNANCY JOURNEY TOGETHER

time-read
5 mins  |
November 11, 2024
AMERICA'S STYLE ELITE IS OUT IN FORCE FASHION'S FINEST A-LISTERS DIAL UP THE GLAMOUR TO HONOUR TOP DESIGNERS IN NEW YORK
HELLO! UK

AMERICA'S STYLE ELITE IS OUT IN FORCE FASHION'S FINEST A-LISTERS DIAL UP THE GLAMOUR TO HONOUR TOP DESIGNERS IN NEW YORK

Hollywood stars rubbed shoulders with New York's style elite as America's fashion industry gathered to honour some of its top designers.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 11, 2024
LEGENDARY DANCER WAYNE SLEEP REFLECTS ON A LIFE IN THE SPOTLIGHT AND HOW BALLET LED HIM INTO SHOWBIZ
HELLO! UK

LEGENDARY DANCER WAYNE SLEEP REFLECTS ON A LIFE IN THE SPOTLIGHT AND HOW BALLET LED HIM INTO SHOWBIZ

He has danced with some of the greatest legends of ballet, partied with the biggest names in showbusiness and performed with royalty.

time-read
5 mins  |
November 11, 2024
SPORTY, INTELLIGENT AND SHOWING AN IMPRESSIVE SENSE OF STYLE LADY LOUISE SHINES LIKE A JEWEL IN THE ROYAL CROWN AS SHE TURNS 21
HELLO! UK

SPORTY, INTELLIGENT AND SHOWING AN IMPRESSIVE SENSE OF STYLE LADY LOUISE SHINES LIKE A JEWEL IN THE ROYAL CROWN AS SHE TURNS 21

As she celebrates her 21st birthday this week, Lady Louise Mountbatten Windsor is growing up into an engaging young woman.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 11, 2024