Crystal Hefner reveals she was never actually ‘in love’ with late husband Hugh Hefner

Crystal Hefner has revealed how she was never 'in love' with her late husband Huge Hefner.

In 2017, Playboy bid goodbye to its founder when Hefner died at the age of 91 due to sepsis.

Just a few years later, the documentary Secrets of Playboy was released, which contained shocking allegations from former employees, a Playmate and a former girlfriend.

Hefner's third wife, Crystal Hefner, has also claimed that life within The Playboy Mansion wasn't all it was made out to be, with her upcoming memoir, Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself, aiming to speak about the 'toxic objectification and misogyny' she'd experienced.

The model was married to Hefner from 2012 up until his death in 2017.

And ahead of the release of Only Say Good Things, Crystal has revealed that she was never 'in love' with the Playboy founder.

In an interview with People, Crystal says she accepted Hefner's invitation to the mansion in October 2008, telling the publication: "At the time I thought I was on top.

"I thought, ‘Wow, if I just like everything that he likes and do all the things that he wants me to do, then I’m the favorite.’ And I was, but I just lost myself in the process."

Hefner proposed to Crystal on Christmas Eve 2010 which she initially accepted - though she ended up running away shortly after.

"I realized I was dealing with a really big power imbalance," she said.

"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."

While the former Playmate acknowledges that she loved Hefner, she was never 'in love' and acted as his caregiver in his final years.

Crystal also revealed that the name of her memoir was inspired by a conversation she had with Hefner, who told her that he wanted her to 'continue my legacy going forward' and he wanted her 'to only say good things about me'.

Elsewhere in the interview, Crystal also claims that the Playboy Mansion was falling apart - despite it's appearance on television.

According to her, the place isn't well maintained, making it feel 'kind of run down and gross after a while'.

"Too, too many parties. It was worn out." she said.

Crystal also claimed that Hefner was 'controlling' towards the girls in his house - even allegedly down to way they looked.

She alleged that their nail polish couldn't be 'couldn’t be anything but some neutral color' and that he would apparently point out when her roots were coming back in, leading her 'bleach it and burn her scalp'.

In response to the numerous allegations made in the documentary and by others, Playboy told UNILAD: "The Hefner family is no longer associated with Playboy, and today’s Playboy is not Hugh Hefner’s Playboy.

"Today, our organization is run by a workforce that is more than 80% female, and we will continue to confront any parts of our legacy that do not reflect our values today, and to build upon the progress we have made as we evolve as a company so we can drive positive change for our employees and our communities."