KUALA LUMPUR – Singaporean actor Aliff Aziz has refused to divorce Malaysian singer-actress Bella Astillah.
Aliff, 33, appeared at the Federal Territories Syariah Lower Court on April 4, and told the court he needed more time to come to a final decision as he still loves his 30-year-old wife, with whom he shares two children aged seven and four.
“This is not a decision I can make in just one day. I need time. I don’t agree with the divorce. I still love Bella,” he said.
With both parties unable to reach an agreement, Syarie Judge Wan Mohd Najib Wan Hamat ordered them to appoint a conciliatory committee in their divorce case, which will be revisited on June 4.
Bella – whose real name is Dayang Ara Nabellah Awang Astillah – said she was shocked by Aliff’s decision.
Speaking to reporters outside the court, she said she was “very tired”.
“I did not see this coming and thought everything would be resolved today. Divorce is the one thing I fear most, which is why I’ve been trying to (fix our marriage) for years. But I think I’ve had enough now,” she added.
Bella, who married Aliff in 2016, filed for a divorce – for the second time – on March 11, saying it was the best path for them. The couple first divorced in 2019 after he was accused of cheating on her. However, they reconciled in 2020.
Her latest decision to call it quits came two days after the authorities from the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) arrested Aliff and Malaysian actress Ruhainies at a condominium in Kuala Lumpur for suspected khalwat (close proximity).
In an interview with Malaysian media on April 3, Bella claimed that Aliff had intended to divorce her in February as he no longer had feelings for her.
She also accused her estranged husband of cheating on her 11 times, including with her younger sister Eriqa.
“I have three other siblings. Aliff once cheated on me with my own sister,” Bella alleged, adding that she first had suspicions about the affair when she and Aliff went for umrah, an Islamic religious pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, in 2022.
Bella claimed that Aliff and Eriqa had exchanged messages wishing for a smooth-sailing relationship, and Eriqa had accompanied Aliff to the Malaysian television singing show Gegar Vaganza.
“Because I loved Aliff so much, I disowned my sister. I never told anyone about this matter, but it needs to be revealed,” she said tearfully.
She added: “Disowning my sister but not Aliff was my biggest mistake and I regret it.”
Bella’s accusations came after a TikTok user, going by the handle @edisiumat, revealed on April 2 that Bella had been romantically involved with Malaysian actor Muaz Zabir since October 2023.
She admitted to that relationship, saying she had only “used” Muaz, 27, to make Aliff jealous after the latter allegedly cheated on her with two other women.
However, she clarified that she and Aliff patched up afterwards.
According to Bella, Aliff had a new-found appreciation for her following the incident, but he started “ignoring” her again during the filming of his drama Terjerat with co-star Ruhainies. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
