Singaporean actor Aliff Aziz is headed for divorce with his Malaysian actress wife Bella Astillah once again.
The couple, who tied the knot in 2016 and have two children together, previously split in 2019 but reconciled shortly after.
Bella, 29, whose real name is Dayang Nabellah Awang Astillah, told reporters yesterday (March 13) that she filed for a fast-track divorce on March 11 and Aliff, 33, agreed to the split.
“I’ve given him many chances but no matter what, he is the father of our two children,” said Bella.
“The children do not suspect anything amiss. I always give them the excuse that their dad is not around because he has to work.”
Aliff, who is now based in Malaysia, was arrested with his 31-year-old Terjerat co-star Ruhainies on March 9 after they were found together in her condominium.
They were in Kuala Lumpur to film the drama.
Malaysia’s Federal Territories Religious Department (Jawi) reportedly conducted the raid based on a tip-off from the public.
When the enforcement officers arrived at the condo, the couple were suspected of khalwat (an unmarried Muslim couple in solitude),” said a Jawi spokesperson.
“It is understood that the actor has been seen on several occasions entering the home of the actress.”
Jawi officers had to enlist the assistance of the Fire and Rescue Department when Aliff and Ruhainies refused to open the door to the unit, leading to a three-hour stand-off.
It is understood that Aliff relented only after the fire department threatened forced entry.
A production crew member claimed to reporters that Aliff and Ruhainies would call each other “baby” on the set of Terjerat.
“We didn’t expect for their closeness to go beyond the set, extending to the private confines of her home,” said the production personnel who wanted to be identified only as Z.
“The crew did remind Aliff not to get too close to his co-star, considering his history. But he insisted that he needed to do what he believed he had to do for his role in the drama series.”
Bella, who was also part of the Terjerat cast and reportedly best friends with Ruhainies, has since pulled out from the drama.
Ironically, she was supposed to take on the role of a character who steals the husband of her elder sister played by Ruhainies.
Aliff has had a long history with scandals spanning his career, including flashing himself during a dispute.
He’s also made headlines numerous times for alleged infidelity, and Bella revealed in 2019: “My husband often cheats on me.”
In 2020, he was given two weeks of imprisonment and fined $500 for stealing money from Indonesian actress Raja Yunika Perdhana Putri and an unrelated charge of behaving in a disorderly manner in public.
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