KOTA KINABALU: Sabah holds a special place in the love story of Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and his wife, actress and singer Bella Astillah, as it was where their romance first bloomed.
The 33-year-old politician admitted he never expected to fall in love with the state when he first visited for filming, having already spent two to three months travelling across other parts of Malaysia.
“After visiting various states for two to three months, something felt different when I arrived in Sabah. The moment I touched down, I immediately fell in love,” he said during the couple’s Kenduri Rakyat reception at Padang Merdeka today.
He explained that travelling between the islands allowed him to get to know Bella, 32, and her family much better, revealing a side to her that went far beyond her life in showbusiness.
“I saw a different side of Bella — not just as an actress and singer, but as someone who loves her children and sincerely reaches out to communities from village to village,” he shared.
The former Youth and Sports Minister also thanked Bella, whose full name is Dayang Nabellah Awang Astillah, for teaching him valuable lessons about maturity and being a husband and father.
Joking about married life, he added that people had noticed him smiling a lot more in Parliament lately.
“What can I say? I am married now, and my wife is Bella Astillah. I hope this honeymoon period lasts forever,” he quipped.
Speaking about his new role as a father figure to Bella’s two children, Ayden Adrean and Ara Adreanna, Syed Saddiq said he was excited to take on the responsibility and would do his best, though he confessed to being quite strict when it comes to discipline.
The celebration in Kota Kinabalu, attended by tens of thousands of locals, followed their reception in Muar last week.
The couple originally tied the knot on Oct 10 at Menara Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur before holding their main reception at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC).