‘I said yes in seconds’: Actress Bella Astillah recalls Mount Kinabalu proposal by Syed Saddiq
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Malaysian politician Syed Saddiq (left) and Malaysian actress Bella Astillah at their engagement ceremony on March 28.
PHOTO: SYEDSADDIQ/INSTAGRAM
KUALA LUMPUR – Actress Bella Astillah has opened up about the moment Muar Member of Parliament Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman proposed to her while climbing Mount Kinabalu together in January, describing it as an emotional and unexpected experience.
“My emotions were all over the place at the time because it was very cold and I was exhausted. When he proposed, so many thoughts ran through my mind.
“Alhamdulillah, I said ‘yes’ within just a few seconds,” Bella, 32, told mStar, The Star’s Malay-language portal.
She added that her nine-year-old son and six-year-old daughter also took the news well after being told by the 33-year-old Malaysian politician.
“My children responded very positively. I wasn’t the one who told them about the proposal. Syed Saddiq himself shared the news,” she said.
On March 28, Bella – whose full name is Dayang Nabellah Awang Astillah – got engaged to Mr Syed Saddiq at a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur.
During the event, the couple exchanged five trays of gifts from his side and seven from hers, themed around Mount Kinabalu as a nod to the place where he proposed.
Bella’s son stole the spotlight, however, as he was already referring to his future stepfather as “daddy”.
The young boy told mStar: “Daddy is very sporting. We swim and jog together. Congratulations to mummy and daddy.
“I’m very happy for them. There’s one more person in our small family.”
Bella was previously married to Singaporean singer-actor Aliff Aziz in 2016. The couple divorced on June 13 in 2024. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
