ENOUGH is enough. Malaysia's pop princess Siti Nurhaliza is not going to take it anymore.
She and her businessman husband, Datuk Khalid Mohammad Jiwa, are so fed-up with slanderous rumours spread about them that they called a press conference on Thursday to debunk them.
Vicious talk that had been circulating recently on the Internet and by SMS allege that Datuk Khalid, or Datuk K as Siti calls him, beat her till she was hospitalised and that she had a miscarriage.
He was also accused of giving a BMW car to air stewardess-turned-actress Rozita Che Wan, who has denied it.
The distressed couple claim that they are all lies and threatened to take legal action against the rumour-mongers.
The pair, who have been married for 2 1/2 years, also want to quell the notion that their marriage is on the rocks, reported New Straits Times.
Siti, who turns 30 tomorrow, said the gossip got so bad that their friends started dropping by to check on them and her husband asked her to quit showbiz.
Said Datuk Khalid: 'There has been so much gossip and talk about our marriage. I want to put a stop to this as it will put a strain on our marriage.
'If things turn for the worse and get out of hand, the responsible parties will have to pay a heavy price for their actions.'
He said he was so distressed that he lodged a police report over the allegations that he beat Siti.
'I've so much respect for my wife and she is a tolerant and kind woman. How can I break her heart?'
Datuk Khalid, who's 20 years older than Siti, said the lies and allegations had tarnished his reputation.
'I am a businessman, not an artiste. So if such malicious rumours like these arise, my reputation will be tainted.
'During the course of my business dealings, I sometimes get the feeling that some are looking at me and thinking that I'm a bad husband.'
'So I think, enough of this slander against me. I feel tired of having to clarify each time some piece of untrue gossip gets reported,' Harian Metro quoted him as saying.
Datuk Khalid, who is chairman of the Ace media group, said he was aware that they are one of the most-watched couples in the country.
He added: 'Even before we got married, Siti and I have had to deny numerous allegations about our relationship.
'I've prepared myself to face the worst but I'm deeply affected when Siti gets weary and emotional over the negative reports about our marriage.
'There were even times when I've asked Siti to quit her career but I know that's a bit too much.
Never quarrelled
'If you must know, to date, we have never quarelled because Siti is a very tolerant woman. I love her so much and I'm happy to be with her.
'I would never hurt her, and I don't understand why anyone would say I am having an affair with other women when I'm always by her side.'
Siti, who was smiling and calm during the press conference, said she had never doubted her husband's loyalty.
She said they are 'victims of circumstances'.
Asked if she would stop singing, the superstar said she was not ready to.
'Datuk Khalid has spoken to me about his view that I should stop becoming a 'public figure' last Wednesday, but I persuaded him and told him to remain calm about what is going on,' she said.
Siti said she was in a dilemma over whether to stop doing something she loves or 'respecting my husband's decision'.
They eventually agreed to discuss how to stop the rumours, hence the press conference.
Rumours have plagued the couple since their marriage in August 2006. He has four sons from a previous marriage.
Their wedding ceremony - dubbed the wedding of the decade - had 2,500 guests, was telecast live and had the trappings of a royal bash such as an indoor garden reception.
It was said to have cost more than RM12 million ($5m). But her wedding planner insisted the figure was closer to RM500,000, with the rest coming from sponsorships.
Home-wrecker rumours
Tongues wagged when it was learnt that Datuk Khalid's divorce from his first wife came in April 2005, the same month he started seeing Siti.
Rumours spread about whether Siti had wrecked that marriage - but it was denied.
Her latest album, Lantera Timur, will be released soon.
When asked if there were plans by certain quarters to sabotage her career, Siti said: 'I don't think anyone is out there to pour sand into my rice bowl. This is the price I've to pay as a public figure.'
But what if someone close to her is trying to whip up publicity to stir up sales?
Siti refuted that, saying: 'I have never used dirty tactics to sell my albums and I don't believe in working that way. That method can never sell but instead make people want to forget about you.'
She made a plea to the rumour-mongers: 'Enough is enough. Stop these slanders about our marriage. Let us live like normal people.
'Please leave us alone. I don't hold any grudges against anyone. Just pray for our happiness.'