Singaporean actor Aliff Aziz has finally revealed his side of the story after being embroiled in a cheating scandal since March.

Appearing on the podcast The Common Folks in a video uploaded on Friday (May 3), the 33-year-old said: "Everyone wants to talk, but usually the guilty party has to speak last.

"If I had spoken first, things would have escalated and it would become worse and louder."

Aliff also revealed that the situation between himself and his estranged wife Bella Astillah was "very messy" and that he last spoke to her and their two children over 40 days ago since his affair with Malaysian actress Ruhainies was revealed.

Aliff was arrested in Kuala Lumpur alongside his co-star Ruhainies from the drama Terjerat in March. They were found in the latter's condominium and suspected by Malaysia's Federal Territories Religious Department (Jawi) of committing khalwat (an unmarried Muslim couple in solitude).

Bella filed for an expedited divorce, but Aliff refused to grant it in an April 4 hearing. The couple first married in 2016 and split in 2019 before reconciling.

"There is no communication anymore, and the number is blocked. I'm afraid to hear Bella's voice because it might affect my mental state," Aliff said in the podcast.

He added that he was not "running away" but did not know "where to start" as the situation was "chaotic".

Aliff also alleged that he noticed Bella, 30, was behaving differently back in November, and upon going through her phone, he discovered an archived chat with another man.

"I was lost and didn't know how to react, so I called my parents and broke down," he said.

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He added that he had confronted Bella about it with both of their families present, and had forgiven Bella but told her he needed to see that she still "wanted to make this marriage work".

Despite trying to treat Bella "like a princess" afterwards, Aliff said that it may have been too late as Bella told him, "Let's just get a divorce" during an argument in front of their children.

"I told her to file it in court if she was really determined, and Bella did that," he said.

He claimed Bella contacted a lawyer afterwards and told him things like: "I hope you cooperate. We don't have to air each other's dirty laundry and we can co-parent together."

Bella did not go through with the divorce filing then, and Aliff said he regretted not resolving things with her peacefully back then.

It was revealed in April that Bella was having an affair with Malaysian actor Muaz Zabir after screenshots of their phone conversations and a photo of them were uploaded onto TikTok.

In a tearful interview with Malaysian media, Bella admitted that the screenshots were genuine and that she "used someone" to make Aliff jealous as he was allegedly cheating on her with two women at the time. 

"I wanted attention and, by doing it this way, I had hoped that Aliff would give me attention and be jealous," she revealed, reported The New Straits Times in April.

However, she alleged that Aliff was the one to leak the messages as "only he had the picture" of herself and Muaz. 

"Perhaps they wanted the khalwat case closed and didn't have any ammunition, so they used my case," she added.

I revealed affair because I was angry: Aliff 

Aliff confirmed it in the podcast, saying he revealed the affair because he was so angry that he was unable to control his emotions.

He added: "It was wrong and I regret it because in the end, she is still the mother of my children. At that time, I was filled with anger, hatred and regret."

Aliff apologised to Bella, thanking her for their years of marriage and "for giving birth to two beautiful children".

"When I look at myself in the mirror, I think, 'What a failure'," he said. "I just want this to end and move on with my life."

He also apologised to Ruhainies, Sarah Yasmine — a woman he had a "messy situationship" with between January and the khalwat case in April — and the public.

Addressing his children, he got emotional and said: "I'm terribly, terribly sorry for a lot of misjudgment. It shouldn't have happened."

He also hoped his family could "forgive [him] for all [his] shortcomings" and said he would carry this "lesson" with him "for the longest time".

"It's 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," he added.

drimac@asiaone.com

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