Malaysia's most celebrated artiste Siti Nurhaliza broke millions of hearts when she revealed her marriage plans with 47-year-old businessman Khalid Mohamad Jiwa, better known as Datuk K.

Since then, the 27-year-old singer has been accused of numerous things, including breaking up the marriage of Khalid and his wife Tengku Zawyah Tengku Izham, 43.

Yesterday, Siti, expressing hurt over the allegations, denied she was a home-wrecker and had stole another woman's husband.

She said she only got to know Khalid, a father of four, after her Royal Albert Hall concert in London last April, adding theirs was initially a business relationship.

"I have done no wrong and it is better to keep silent and be patient," she told the press over a tea reception yesterday. Khalid was also present.

"The people who would know the real situation are the Jawi (Federal Territory Religious Council) officials," she was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times .

First divorce in 1998

Khalid also denied the allegations.

"This is the question I have been waiting for. In all sincerity and as a Muslim, I'd like to say that my relationship with Siti started after the divorce.

"Siti had in no way have any connection with the divorce. If you check with Jawi, which carried out their investigations, you will know that this is true," he said.

The businessman said he divorced Tengku Zawyah in 1998 due to certain problems but they remarried within three months for the sake of their children and because "I wanted to give it another chance."

"However, I divorced her later because there were transgressions against the agreement of the marriage, though I must admit I have to take some of the blame too," he added.

It was reported that Khalid performed the takliq (oral declaration of divorce) in February 2004 and the court granted the divorce on March 12 last year.

He also said his courtship with Siti was "a difficult one" as she was a public figure and they could not go dating or hold hands, for instance.

"Besides, I have failed once in my marriage and I wanted to make sure I don't fail this time," he added.

Unpretentious celebrity

Khalid said he first fell in love with Siti after he visited her at her Kuala Lipis home and she was dressed simply in a batik sarong and T-shirt.

"For me, it was amazing that a celebrity could be so unpretentious," he said, adding that when he saw her walking up the stairs, he had strong feelings for her.

This prompted a reporter to remark: "When you saw her thighs ..." leaving the room in laughter.

Siti recalled receiving a call from Khalid while he was on a flight one day and thinking "Could it be that he has feelings for me?"

On the cost of their wedding which one tabloid speculated could be more than RM12 million, Khalid said the figure was grossly exaggerated, and that as far as he knew, it had not even reached RM1mil.

"Many of the items are gifts or sponsored, like the clothes and accessories," he said.

As for his children being present at the wedding, Khalid said: "My sons have no objections at all to my marrying Siti. They want to attend but they also want to be with their mother. I am proud of that as I have raised them to think of their parents and they want to be with their mother at this time."