Reporter rushes to ‘breaking’ story, finds beau proposing on one knee

July 5, 2023

A TV reporter was in for the surprise of her life when she rushed to cover a “breaking news” story — only to discover that her boyfriend was at the scene, down on one knee and with ring in hand.

Valerie Bell, a reporter for WBMA in Birmingham, Alabama, drove to what she believed was a domestic violence incident near a lake, where she pulled up in a car and talked with a cop, McClatchy News reported.

But lurking behind her was her firefighter flame, Blake Bjornson, who was holding a box as he knelt on the ground.

He popped the question and she quickly uttered, “Yes.”

The two lovebirds then shared an engagement smooch in front of the assembled first responders.

“I’m just trying to process what just happened. Oh my God! I thought there were kids in the water. That’s so bad,” she said in the video when she realized she’d be the one taking the plunge.

Valerie Bell interviewing a cop as her boyfriend Blake Bjornson waits to propose to her in the background — Alabama TV reporter Valerie Bell at the scene of a “breaking news” story while her boyfriend, Blake Bjornson, quietly waits behind her, on one knee and holding a ring.

Bell shocked to see Bjornson. — Bell was shocked when she saw Bjornson.

He places the engagement ring on Bell's finger — The young firefighter places the engagement ring on Bell’s finger after she said,” Yes!”

“Here I was, thinking I was going to breaking news,” Bell wrote on Instagram. “But little did I know, it was all part of a massive collaborative plan to pull off one heck of a surprise.”

She later thanked Bjornson, WBMA chief photographer Bill Castle and the first responders for making her day so special.

“Can’t wait to spend forever with you. I’m the most lucky girl,” Bell tweeted.

Bell and Bjornson by the lake — Bell and Bjornson are ready to take the plunge after the carefully planned engagement near a lake.

The TV station said that “Bjornson, who works as a firefighter, pulled together some of his friends (including) the Pell City Police Department to help pull off the proposal story of a lifetime.”

Police later also gave her a shoutout.

“Congratulations Valerie Bell and Blake! Thank you for letting us be a small part of your special day,” the department said on Facebook.

On its website, WBMA says: “Always inquisitive and a go-getter, it’s been Valerie’s dream to be a reporter ever since she was in the third grade.”