On August 3 at the Melodi Hottest Awards 2025 in Malaysia, a tense moment unfolded when singer-actress Bella Astillah was tasked with presenting the Hottest Feminine Celebrity award to her ex-husband’s alleged scandal, Sophia Albarakbah. Sophia had previously been accused of being romantically linked to Bella’s ex-husband, Singaporean actor Aliff Aziz, which reportedly contributed to Bella and Aliff’s divorce.

During the live broadcast of the award, Bella opened the envelope, huffed twice, then awkwardly announced Sophia as the winner, saying in Malay, “This one I know… I know very well,” before handing her the award without much interaction.

Bella allegedly left immediately after the awards ceremony and was later absent from a scheduled interview, fuelling speculation that the moment had emotionally affected her.

“Just Bella’s way of presenting,” – Sophia Albarakbah

According to an article by New Straits Times, Sophia responded by saying she didn’t feel mocked, it was likely just Bella’s way of presenting the award. While Bella’s assistant stated that Bella’s reaction stemmed from past trauma caused by Sophia, something only Bella’s close friends would understand.

She brushed off netizens’ comments of seeing ‘tension’ between the two women on stage.

Hisyam Hamid was supposed to present the Hottest Female Award

In a now-deleted tweet, Hisyam Hamid shared a screenshot of a message indicating he was originally slated to present the Hottest Female Award. Alongside it, he added a cheeky caption revealing that the organisers had abruptly switched things up, asking him to present the first award instead.

Netizens slam TV3 and Melodi for cheap publicity

Netizens criticized TV3 and Melodi, the event organisers, for being insensitive in their arrangement. Social media was flooded with calls for an apology, accusing the show of using Bella’s personal trauma for publicity.

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