Hugh Hefner has claimed his preference of having multiple girlfriends came about in reaction to a bad relationship.

While he has professed his love for Holly Madison, he still has other girlfriends, currently Bridget Marquardt and Kendra Wilkinson - but he insists that because they come into the relationship knowing it’s not exclusive, no one get jealous.

He told Details magazine recently: “They don’t [get jealous]. But whether it’s three girlfriends or seven, it’s easier than one wife. They’re not going to give you a hard time, because you always have an alternative.”

“My second marriage, from 1989, lasted 10 years, and we had two children. When it ended I met a young actress name Brande Roderick, and about three weeks later a pair of twins, Sandy and Mandy Bentley. It was an overreaction to a difficult marriage.”

He added: “I still have sex several times a week. But when you talk about sex, it’s the intimacy that matters.”