Ex-S'pore Idol finalist Sylvester Sim accused of having affair

Ex-S'pore Idol finalist Sylvester Sim accused of having affair

FORMER Singapore Idol finalist Sylvester Sim has been accused by a man of having an affair with his singer-wife but he says he is only her confidant.

Screenshots of Sim's text conversations with the woman, who gave her name only as Ms L, were circulated on citizen journalism website Stomp on Monday.

In the messages, which have since been taken down, the pair allegedly call each other "BB" and "love", and talk about kissing.

Sim, 32, who was the first runner-up in reality TV series Singapore Idol in 2004, is currently an entertainment manager at Unplugged music room and bar at Dempsey.

Ms L is a singer there, Chinese newspaper Shin Min Daily News reported yesterday.

Ng Song Yang, who identified himself as her husband, wrote on the All Singapore Stuff website yesterday that they had been married since Dec 21, 2014.

Recently, he noticed that she was behaving suspiciously.

After catching her using her mobile phone in the bathroom, he said he read a "flirting conversation" she had with Sim, her pub's manager, on messaging app WeChat.

Mr Ng claimed she confessed to having an affair with Sim. The 35-year-old businessman said he plans to file for divorce.

Speaking to Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao in a report yesterday, Sim said he was innocent.

His first response was to sigh and say that the matter "is very complicated".

He stressed that he did not have an affair but that he has been caring for and advising Ms L as she had recently been having family problems that affected her work.

"Every singer (at Unplugged) is my 'BB', I have responsibility to care about them," he told Wanbao.

"As for the messages about kissing... we were just teasing but we are definitely innocent."

When asked why Mr Ng accused him specifically, Sim said he believes that it was a misunderstanding caused by issues that Mr Ng had with Ms L. He did not reveal more out of respect for her privacy.

Sim, who has been married to a dance teacher since August 2012, added that he had told his wife about this incident.

She was very angry at first but calmed down after listening to his explanation.

Sim's manager Hu Ruien told Wanbao she believes Sim is innocent and that the company is looking into the matter.

She said: "We will call the police over the online comments and consult a lawyer. We reserve our rights to pursue legal action."

Ms L told Shin Min in a report yesterday that she has been taking medication for depression and anxiety and does not remember sending those messages at all.

"Sylvester and I are just colleagues, that's all," she said.

"He (and the rest of the Unplugged team) has always been looking after me and keeping me company."

Sim had planned an upcoming press conference on Tuesday for his latest single New Hope, which was meant to be a joyous occasion as it coincides with his birthday.

Although Ms Hu said this latest development has cast a pall on the event, they hope it will be a musical comeback for him.

As of press time, Sim had deleted his Twitter account and removed all public posts on his Facebook page.

myp@sph.com.sg


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 Ms L has clarified with AsiaOne that she does not have a daughter with Mr Ng, but has been taking care of his two daughters from a previous marriage.

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