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NY Post
New York Post
5 Jul 2023


NextImg:Reporter rushes to cover ‘breaking’ story, finds boyfriend proposing on one knee

A TV reporter was in 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 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 kneeled to the ground.

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

The two love birds 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.

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.
Valerie Bell/Facebook

Bell shocked to see Bjornson.

Bell was shocked when she saw Bjornson.
Valerie Bell/Facebook

He places the engagement ring on Bell's finger

The young firefighter places the engagement ring on Bell’s finger after she said,” Yes!”
Valerie Bell/Facebook

“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.

The newly engaged couple share a hug.

The newly engaged couple share a hug.
Valerie Bell/Facebook

Bell and Bjornson by the lake

Bell and Bjornson are ready to take the plunge after the carefully planned engagement near a lake.
Valerie Bell/Facebook

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.”