Bella Astillah and Syed Saddiq Engaged After Mount Kinabalu Proposal

Atop Mount Kinabalu, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman placed an engagement ring on Bella Astillah's finger during their ascent of Sabah's highest peak and asked her to marry him. The Muar MP posted a video of the moment on Instagram on March 28 and wrote: "I proposed, she said yes. This is not the end of the story; this is the beginning. And today is our engagement ceremony, pray for us."

The mountain proposal set the stage for a formal hantaran ceremony in Kuala Lumpur that same afternoon, where Syed's mother placed the engagement ring on Bella's finger as part of the customary exchange. The ceremony, attended by family and close industry friends, took place at 3:30pm and was livestreamed on Astro's social media platforms.

What distinguished the engagement gifts was their orientation toward the future rather than ceremony alone. Alongside the engagement ring, Syed Saddiq presented ASNB (Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad) savings and Tabung Haji contributions for Bella, and education savings scheme deposits under SSPN for each of her two children, Mohamad Ayden Adrean, nine, and Ara Adreanna, six. Five trays from Syed Saddiq's side were exchanged with seven from Bella's family, in keeping with customary practice.

Speaking at the ceremony, Syed Saddiq addressed those gathered not as a member of parliament or debater, but as the "luckiest man on this earth." He praised Bella's resilience: "Even in her exhaustion, she finds her strength. In falling, she finds her own way to rise again." He called her "the most exceptional, talented iron lady," and said he loved her not in spite of, but because of her two children.

The pair's relationship began as a professional collaboration. "Starting with a normal collaboration that ended up raising more than RM6 million (S$1.93 million) for the people, it unknowingly brought two hearts together," Syed Saddiq wrote on Instagram.

Bella Astillah, 32, is a Malaysian singer-actress. Syed Saddiq is 33. Bella was previously married to Singaporean actor Aliff Aziz, with whom she shares her two children. They first divorced in 2019 following cheating allegations against Aliff, reconciled in 2020, and divorced a second time in June 2024.

After the formal exchange concluded, a post shared on social media confirmed: "Alhamdulillah, the ceremony has concluded. Saddiq is now engaged.