United Kingdom, May 2 -- Crystal Hefner is engaged.

The 39-year-old former Playboy model is set to marry marine biologist James Ward, following his romantic proposal on the seaside deck he built for her at her Hawaii home after one year of dating.

Crystal - the widow of late Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, who died in 2017 - told Us Weekly: "It truly feels like 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.

"It was the exact spot where we'd had a quiet picnic together a year ago - a place that became 'ours.' I had no idea he was secretly turning it into something permanent and symbolic. I thoug...