A journalist’s boyfriend proposed to her in print and in person after placing an advertisement in the newspaper she works for.

Will Barradale-Smith placed the ad in yesterday’s Ross Gazette asking reporter Catherine Barkley to marry him, and presented it to her in the newsroom.

Catherine accepted Will’s proposal in the “fairytale” office setting in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire.

She said she had been “impressed” that colleagues had managed to keep the romantic gesture a secret from her in the preceding days.

Will and Catherine with the proposal advert in this week’s Gazette

Catherine said: “It was a really magical way to propose, like something out of a fairytale.

“Will knows how important my job is to me at the Ross Gazette, so I don’t think there could have been a more perfect way to ‘pop the question’.”

She added: “I am really impressed that my team managed to keep this secret, and it is lovely that they all worked together to make it so special for me.”

Gazette general manager Charlotte Reynolds said: “It was a lovely occasion in the office, and all of us in the office are humbled that he wanted to include us in this special occasion.

“Congratulations to them both and we wish them all the best for their future.”