Family apologises to Bella Astillah over Muar woman’s viral grab-and-kiss incident

A still shows an unidentified guest accosting Bella Astillah during her wedding reception in Muar, Johor.

First Published: Wednesday, 28 Oct 2026 4:05 PM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 — The family of a wedding guest who went viral for grabbing Bella Astillah by the back of her neck to kiss her on the cheek has publicly apologised to the singer-actress.

The woman’s daughter-in-law phoned in to ERA radio station’s 3 Pagi ERA segment to tender the apology after previous attempts to reach Bella through Instagram direct messages went unanswered, Berita Harian reported.

“My entire family would like to apologise for my mother’s excitement. I am truly sorry, as what happened was beyond our expectations. We never expected this to happen,” she said.

“Our whole family tried sending Bella direct messages on Instagram, but there was no response. So, when I happened to see Bella, I immediately called her,” she said in a video posted on Instagram.

Taking the situation in stride, Bella assured listeners that she was unhurt and thanked the caller for making the effort to reach out.

The 32-year-old also apologised on behalf of her fans, acknowledging that intense public backlash online might have hurt the family’s feelings.

“That’s okay. I’m the person involved, and I’m fine. There’s no problem and I haven’t suffered any injuries. On behalf of Bella, I would also like to apologise if some fans were overly concerned and caused your mother-in-law to go viral. I’m sorry about that too.

“Thank you for taking the time to contact me. But don’t worry, from my side, everything is fine. These things happen unexpectedly.

“At the same time, Bella is actually perfectly fine and has not suffered any injuries. Please send my regards to your mother-in-law. Hopefully, we’ll get to meet again, God willing,” she said.

The incident occurred during a kenduri rakyat at Yong Sheng Banquet Hall on Jalan Bakri in Muar last Sunday, where more than 10,000 guests turned up to celebrate Bella, whose real name is Dayang Nabellah Awang Astillah, and her husband, Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, 33.

A viral video of the greeting line showed the woman suddenly grabbing Bella by the nape of her neck and pulling her in close for a kiss, catching the bride visibly off guard and sparking widespread discussion among netizens.

The couple solemnised their marriage in a private ceremony on 10 October before hosting a grand reception at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) in Kuala Lumpur on October 18. Their wedding tour concludes with another kenduri rakyat in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, on October 31 .