After remaining tight-lipped for months, Singaporean actor-singer Aliff Aziz has finally opened up about the controversy involving him and his wife and Malaysian singer-actress Bella Astillah and fallout that followed.
Speaking to the Singaporean podcast channel The Common Folks, Aliff said that he remained silent as he realised that he had made mistakes and did not want the issue to escalate.
"Everyone wants to talk, usually the guilty party has to speak last. Because if I had spoken first, things would have escalated and it would have become worse and louder," the actor-singer revealed during the podcast.
Aliff Aziz and Bella Astillah divorce
For the unversed, Aliff and Ruhainies were detained by Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) officers at a condominium in Kuala Lumpur, under the suspicion of khalwat (close proximity) on March 9. Following this, Aliff's wife Bella Astillah filed for divorce on March 13.
Aliff also regretted for exposing things about his wife, including allegations of her cheating with the actor Muaz Zabir. Explaining his side of the story, Aliff said that he disclosed the affair as he was so angry that he was unable to control his emotions.
He said, "It was wrong, and I regret it because in the end she (Bella) is still the mother of my children. At that time, I was filled with anger, hatred, and regret."
Aliff regrets his actions
In the video of the podcast recording, Aliff was also seen shedding tears when he was asked to express his feelings towards Bella. During the hearing of the divorce, Aliff had refused to divorce Bella.
However, the situation became even more complicated when Bella's intimate photos with rumoured boyfriend Muaz were leaked and allegations surfaced that Bella was also cheating Aliff by having a relationship with Muaz.
Surprisingly, Bella did not deny the allegations and explained that her relationship with Muaz was only to make Aliff jealous. She also claimed that the matter had been resolved within both families.
Bella and Aliff were married on Sept 9, 2016, and were blessed with two children. In May 2019, the couple had decided to part ways after Aliff cheated several times, but they reconciled during the waiting period (iddah).
Aliff Aziz and Ruhainies
Talking about his relationship with Ruhainies, Aliff said that he used work as a distraction from his previous marital problems. Aliff and Ruhainies were co-stars in an upcoming drama and though he wanted to keep his professional and personal lives separate, he couldn't do that as he was disturbed.
When Ruhainies asked him if he was "going through things", he opened up to her - something he has since regretted doing. He said, "My intention was to not gain sympathy but to get it off my chest... Unfortunately, through sharing, it opened up the doors for us to get closer. I take full accountability for that."
Not only this, Aliff Aziz also provided his side of his relationship with Sarah Yasmine, the woman who claimed to be his lover and ended up sharing screenshots of him and Ruhainies on social media. The incident ended up implicating multiple celebrities including Emma Maembong and Chacha Maembong.
Aliff Aziz and Sarah Yasmine
Aliff claimed that he reconnected with Sarah in January 2024 and implied that they weren't actually in a proper relationship by calling it a "messy situationship". The singer-actor also admitted that Sarah had accompanied him to Singapore. However, the saga had given him pause, making him decide to put an end to his relationship with Sarah.
He said, "I told her 'Thank you so much for all you have done but as long as I don't put a stop to all the wrong things I've been doing, there'll never be a way out of it...This is a mistake, I need to take a step back...So let's just put a full stop (on) this.'"
Post that, Sarah went to Kuala Lumpur and released the screenshots. Responding to this, Aliff said, "I didn't ask her to do any of that. I never asked her to fight my battles for me...I just want to say that whatever 'relationship' we had wasn't supposed to be there."
According to Aliff, Sarah's actions caused a lot more harm than good.
However, by the end of the interview, Aliff apologised to Bella, Ruhainies, Sarah and the general public and got emotional while addressing his children. "I'm terribly, terribly sorry for a lot of misjudgment. It shouldn't have happened," he said.
Aliff concluded, "I really hope that my whole family can forgive me for all my shortcomings... Moving forward, this will be a lesson that I'll carry with me for the longest time... This is a very high price that I have to pay but it is what it is. Thank you for everything that you have done for me."
