A jilted bride is suing her groom for damages after he called off their wedding with a mobile phone text message just hours before the ceremony, media reports said today.

Norlida Abdul Rahman, 23, was left waiting on her wedding dais after Hasmawi Hassan, a professional football player for the northern state of Kedah, sent her an SMS less than 24 hours before the ceremony saying, "We were not meant to be together."

But Norlida decided to put on a brave face, and her wedding dress, on Friday night and carried on with the traditional Malay wedding feast for 1,000 guests at her family home although her fiance did not turn up.

Her family spent close to RM20,000 for the wedding, she said.

"I have already instructed my lawyer to take the necessary legal action," Norlida was quoted as saying by the Star .

"This should not have happened to me and it hurts. I cannot describe the embarrassment it had caused me and my family."

She was not seeking specific damages but would leave it to the court to decide on the amount, the New Straits Times said.

"Norlida endured a painful and scary experience, waiting for the groom who did not turn up while about 1,000 guests witnessed it," lawyer K Siladass was quoted as saying.

"For a young woman like her, it's a very difficult situation to be caught in. She has instructed us to handle the proceedings and that is what we will be doing," Siladass said.

Football contract terminated

Hasmawi's mother expressed shame over her son's behaviour but said he had told Norlida that he did not want to get married a few days before he sent the

"I do not know where to hide my face and I think all mothers will understand my feelings right now," she was quoted as saying by the Star .

Hasmawi, who went into hiding shortly before the SMS incident, could also loose his job.

Kedah Football Association vice president Chong Itt Chew told the New Straits Times that Hasmawi's two-year contract would be terminated as his behaviour had tarnished the state team's image.

Hasmawi returned to his parents' home late Monday, his mother said.

"He cried but did not want to explain about his disappearance. He just said he needed time. He also told me that he had informed Norlida about his intention beforehand and followed up with that damaging SMS," she said.

The couple had met two years ago and became engaged in July last year.