Bella Astillah admits to having an affair in 2023, says Aliff Aziz cheated on her 11 times, now he doesn't want a divorce
And the saga continues.
Hannah Martens | April 04, 2024, 07:57 PM
Singapore actor Aliff Aziz has refused to divorce his wife, Malaysian singer and actress Bella Astillah.
According to The Star, Aliff said he needed more time to come to a "final decision" as he still loves Bella, whose real name is Dayang Ara Nabellah Awang Astillah.
"This isn't 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.
Bella filed for divorce on Mar. 11 and told reporters outside the Syariah Lower Court in Kuala Lumpur on Mar. 13 that she believed a divorce would be the best way to resolve the situation.
It was previously reported that Aliff had agreed with Bella to divorce and was set to attend the proceedings on Mar. 13, 2024.
However, the actor could not attend due to his filming schedule, and the hearing was adjourned to Apr. 4.
The Star reported that Bella told reporters on Apr. 4 that she was "very tired" and "didn't 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 said.
Arrested in March
Aliff was arrested on Mar. 9 in Kuala Lumpur by Malaysia's religious authorities after he was found with Malaysian actress Ruhainies in her condominium.
Ruhainies was also arrested.
Ruhainies told the media it was not a case of "tangkap basah" (loosely translated to "caught red-handed") — the colloquial term referring to restrictions on a man and a woman being alone and in close proximity, such as in a car or in a hotel room, if they are not married or close relatives.
The restriction is known as "khalwat".
Admitted to cheating on Aliff
On Apr. 2, a TikTok video surfaced of messages allegedly between Bella and Malaysian actor Muaz Zabir that showed that they were romantically involved.
On Apr. 3, Bella admitted to reporters that she did have an affair, but she did not name the man.
She shared that the affair happened in 2023, and she used the man to make Aliff jealous.
"While I was using this person to make my own husband jealous, at the same time, he was being unfaithful with two other other women," she said.
"I wanted Aliff's attention, and by [having an affair], I was hoping he would pay attention to me."
Bella explained that she made a mistake trying to make Aliff jealous as the man she was having an affair with was "very good to [her]."
"I was feeling unappreciated and like trash. So when someone else came along and gave me attention, I would be prone as I'm an ordinary human myself," she said.
Bella added that the affair was her first mistake after being with Aliff for 10 years.
After the affair, Aliff told her that he loved her and started to show his appreciation for her, and she saw his changes.
"I realised I made a mistake. It also made me reflect and motivated us to repent. Everyone makes mistakes in their marriages. We forgave each other and both changed our ways."
However, when he started filming with Ruhainies, he changed his phone passwords.
"His change was temporary. When they wanted to cover up the “khalwat”/ close proximity case, maybe they didn’t have any other material. So they used my incident to cover up. I’m just thinking to myself - doesn’t Aliff know he is being used by Ruhainies?"
Aliff allegedly cheated on Bella 11 times
Bella also told reporters that Aliff cheated on her 11 times.
She appeared visibly upset and in tears.
She insisted that she was not lying and she had evidence to support the claim.
She also claimed that Aliff had cheated on her with her younger sister, Eriqa.
"Because of Aliff, I cut off ties with my own family."
Aliff and Bella previously split in 2019 despite allegations of his cheating.
However, the pair reconciled in 2020 and had a second child.
