Kendra Wilkinson: Hefner didn’t marry Holly Madison because he wasn’t ready

Kendra Wilkinson (25) has come a long way since she was first introduced to us several years ago as Hugh Hefner’s brash, booze-lovin’ number three girlfriend on the hit E! reality series “Girls Next Door.”

She’s now the star of her own self-titled show, an author, and an entrepreneur. But most importantly, she’s mother to one-year-old Hank Baskett IV, happily married, and she credits her husband, NFL wide receiver Hank Baskett, for bringing faith into her life at a time when she was seeking something more than just Playboy parties and mindless mayhem.

“Everything happened in the exact perfect timing I wanted. Living in the mansion was in my late teens and early 20’s and that was where my life was then and I thank Hugh Hefner. He’s the one that opened the door for me and the life I have now,” Kendra Wilkinson told FOX411’s Pop Tarts.

Speaking of spouses, Wilkinson wasn’t surprised that her ex recently proposed to his current live-in girlfriend, 24-year-old Crystal Harris. However, the news obviously came as quite a blow for Holly Madison, who dated the Playboy founder for six years, but ended the romance in 2008 when it became evident he wasn’t prepared to produce the coveted diamond.

But Wilkinson said the magazine mogul didn’t marry Holly Madison because, even though he is well into his 80’s, he simply wasn’t ready to settle down. “It is just life and it goes to show when a guy is not ready, a guy is not ready,” she explained. “It doesn’t matter what age you are. Hef was too young!”