Man Spent 2 Years Writing Memoir to Propose to His Girlfriend in Final Chapter: 'Happy Ending'

"I snuck in the last chapter to my editor on the day my final manuscript was due," Roz Weston tells PEOPLE of his secret plan to ask his partner to marry him

Photo: Katherine Holland

Roz Weston wrote a book just to propose to the woman he loves — in a chapter he didn't show her until the time was right.

The longtime TV host and correspondent, 48, released his memoir A Little Bit Broken in September. And in a YouTube video, he used his final chapter to secure a life partner in now-fiancée Katherine Holland.

"Katherine read through every draft as I wrote it for almost two years, but I saved the last chapter," Weston, co-host of The Roz & Mocha Show, tells PEOPLE. "Once I had an actual copy of the book, Katherine read it for the first time with me and our kid. I filmed the entire thing and the video will make you cry, I promise."

"But no, nobody knew ahead of time," he continued. "When I sold the book to the publisher, they had no idea. I sold it without the proposal. I snuck in the last chapter to my editor on the day my final manuscript was due."

Holland, 38, and their daughter Roxy, 13, sat by Weston's side in the clip where she reads the final chapter — a plan which was two years in the making for Weston. Of course, the family embraced in a hug amid it all.

Katherine Holland

"I had absolutely no idea," she tells PEOPLE. "Roz is great at always trying to create beautiful surprises for us, so it didn't seem too out of the ordinary, but I certainly didn't expect a proposal."

"We had never really discussed getting married, as it wasn't really a priority for either of us — only that we thought it would be lovely if our daughter could be a part of it — so I was truly shocked."

Weston tells PEOPLE that he actually started writing his book with the first line, "When you choose the person to spend the rest of your life with, you're also choosing the person who'll tell your story when you're gone. And if you're lucky, you'll find someone who only see's the best in you."

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And while he saved it for the final chapter, and even spoiled the ending for some with his YouTube video, he admits he "needed people to know there's a happy ending" since the book is a tough read.

In A Little Bit Broken, Weston reflects on his 17 years as a senior correspondent for ET Canada and host of ET Canada Live, an opioid addiction, losing his father, and having Tourette's. And he caps it all off with the wholesome proposal — but that's only where his story ends for now.

The TV and podcast host is already focused on wedding planning, too, with a small ceremony approaching in July featuring close friends.

Katherine Holland

"Katherine is currently on the hunt for the perfect dress," he says. "And, yes, she finally got an engagement ring. I didn't have one when I proposed because I couldn't risk spoiling the secret. She chose a custom-made combination of low-profile black diamonds and sapphire on a gold band."

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As Holland tells PEOPLE, she "can't imagine a better proposal."

"I was an absolute sobbing mess," she says. "When I think about the time, I spent reading and re-reading his book for him in the early stages, totally unaware of how it was going to end. And now we have such a beautiful document in the book (and the video) to be able to relive it forever."