Crystal Hefner explains why she says goodbye to Hugh’s last name (excl)
Hugh Hefnerwidow, Crystal Hednerspecifically US Weekly About her decision to give up playboy The founder’s famous surname revealed that she finally felt “in the right place” to let go of the past.
Thursday, July 17, Crystal us Why, eight years after Hugh’s death, she returned to her maiden name Harris.
The model, who married Hugh in 2012, explained: “Why did I keep Hefner’s name, it’s always a lot of noise. I have a lot of people who think it’s about attracting attention or influence. But the truth is, it’s more personal and complex than that name. Keeping that name has nothing to do with fame – it’s about survival.”
Crystal, 39, said: “When you experience something as strong and ubiquitous as that chapter of my life, you don’t just grab your fingers and reshape yourself.
former The girl next door The star said: “I didn’t realize how much I lost. The name is not a spotlight – it’s a shadow I’ve been through for years and I struggled to deal with everything that came with it.”
“While there are moments where I think about changing it sooner, I’m not ready yet.” us. “I have to recycle me first, it takes time, strength and very clear. So no, it has to do with attention. It’s about survival, identity, and ultimately healing.”
When asked why it feels like the right time to change the name of its iconic history, she wants to go back to her roots: “I’m finally in a place where I feel rooted, the whole peace. Changing my name is not about erasing the past – it’s about recycling my identity.”
“It’s a homecoming. Harris is the person I’m telling me who I want to be in the world, and this is the person I’m now,” she said.
Crystal tells us She believes the legal name will be changed to a “huge step”, both “emotional” and “symbolical”.
“It represents the choice of closure, clarity and choice that is consistent with who I became,” she explained. “It was a version that once defined my name and stepped into its own, which is completely free, authentic and strong.”
Crystal tells us She will “always carry that part of my life”, but “that time in my life is over.”
She said she was “ready for the next step.”
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As for everything in the future, Crystal tells us that she is already planning a wedding with her fiancé James Ward In spring 2026: “Somewhere by the sea,” she said. “We haven’t determined all the details yet, but we are taking the time to enjoy the process.”
Crystal said her decision to change her name was not directly because she was about to get married, but that she said “it was exactly the same as the new chapter we entered with.”
Even the Crystal and James she met in 2024 made it formally a couple, the author is breaking away from the norm in her own way: “I’ve always kept mine [last] Name. I want to keep myself in my identity,” she said.
She concluded: “My relationship with James is derived from mutual love and respect, not tradition. I know who I am, and that hasn’t changed.”
