Getty Julian Assange
Stella Morris has just come forward to announce that she and Julian Assange have been romantically involved for years while he was at the Ecuadorian embassy and he fathered her two children. Here’s what you need to know about Stella Morris.
1. Stella Morris Said She & Julian Assange Met in 2011 and Began a Romantic Relationship in 2015
In a video shared by WikiLeaks, Stella Morris said that she and Assange met in 2011 and were together romantically by 2015. WikiLeaks released the video at the same time that an interview with her was shared by the Daily Mail.
“I had been in the embassy almost every single day and got to know Julian very well, and in 2015 we got together,” she said in a video interview. “We fell in love and … this is a person that I … knew well by then…. The person I know the most in this world, and he’s extraordinary.”
According to the Daily Mail, they got engaged in 2017.
She later said in the video: “I had been in the embassy almost every single day and got to know Julian very well and in 2015 we got together. We fell in love and … this is a person that I … know the most in this world, and he’s extraordinary.”
She’s 37 and from South Africa, Daily Mail reported. She has changed her name from Sara Gonzalez Devant.
2. Having Their Two Children Was a Deliberate Decision & Falling in Love Was an ‘Act of Rebellion’
Julian Assange va ser pare de dos fills durant els anys a l’ambaixada equatoriana a Londres, publica el @DailyMailUK. La mare, l’advocada sud-africana Stella Morris, reclama que el deixin en llibertat sota fiança pel perill del coronavirus a la presó t.co/RljGpxhUbg
She said starting a family was a deliberate decision for them and a way for him to imagine a life beyond the embassy.
They have two children, Max and Gabriel. The boys are British citizens and have visited Assange while he’s in prison. Their godmothers are the Duchess of Beaufort and British rapper M.I.A., Daily Mail reported.
“For us it was the sane thing to do, what keeps things real,” she said in the video. “…It grounds me and when Julian sees the children, it gives him a lot of peace and nurturing and support, and that’s good. They’re very happy.”
She said that starting their lives together was an act of rebellion.
“I compare it to being in a war zone, constant relentless attacks,” she said. “You know there are operations underway and it’s not some crazed conspiracy theory, it’s part of the reality of the context in which everything to do with Julian exists… Just like in war, people falling love and decide to live their lives in an act of rebellion.”
3. She Said She Came Forward to Try to Save Julian Assange’s Life
Morris said in the video that she ultimately decided to come forward to try to save Julian Assange’s life, after she believes someone tried to take one of their children’s DNA.
“This was a real dilemma about having a relationship in these circumstances,” she said in the video. “It means you try to insulate it and protect it as fiercely as you can, and that’s what I’ve done … kind of a haven, an oasis, from the crazy context.
Then she added: “I found out that my baby was targeted as a guard actually went up to me and told me they were trying to steal the DNA… I understood that the powers were against Julian were ruthless… That’s partly why I feel now that … I have to do this… I’ve taken so many steps for so many years and I feel like Julian’s life might be coming to an end. It’s been ten years … of breaking someone down, of trying to destroy his life…”
In an interview with Daily Mail, Morris said that she was revealing her relationship and her children because she’s scared that Assange’s life is in danger. He’s in a prison where one inmate has died from COVID-19. She is trying to get Assange released because a chronic lung condition makes him extra vulnerable, she said.
Journalist Kim Zetter said on Twitter that the information came to light through court documents. She wrote: “The information came to light in court documents that Assange’s team filed last week in an effort to secure his release from prison on bail due to fears that he could contract the coronavirus there.”
4. She Said Jennifer Robinson Introduced Them After She Needed Help with Assange’s Case
She said she met Assange after Jennifer Robinson asked for help with a case she was involved in. Robinson is an Australian human rights lawyer.
In the video, Morris said that her first meeting with Assange was at Paddington in the Frontline Club. She said he was sitting alone at a table when she first met him and she had no idea that she was going to be meeting him in person that day. She said Assange was similarly confused, thinking she was an American journalist who was going to interview him at first.
“He immediately was quite guarded,” she recalled. “Who was this woman who just walked into the room?”
She told him that she was there to be interviewed, so he offered her his tea.
In the video, Morris said that she’s a fluent Swedish speaker and Spanish speaker who studied law and has worked with the international coordinator of Julian Assange’s international legal team. Her language skills came in handy for Assange’s Sweden case and for his political asylum.
Stella Morris has been referenced before today in connection with Assange’s case numerous times. Here’s just one tweet from 2018 talking about her role as part of his legal time.
![Hans Cres Press [HMP Belmarsh Office]](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1712264568058347520/pNnNKyT7_normal.jpg){kind=small}
@SandraEckersley @pistach01 #assange‘s girlfriend/lawyer Stella Morris and Jen Robinson can come and go, however there is little doubt the #wikileaks fuhrer is still communicating electronically as before he’s just not using the Embassy’s internet/phone access
5. A Cat Who Looks Just Like Embassy Cat Is in the Video
During the video, she had a cat with her that looked a lot like the well known Embassy Cat. People on Twitter believe this is the famed Embassy Cat who used to be with Assange.
YouTube/TheWikileaksChannel
It’s not clear if this is Embassy Cat, but the coloring is the same.
Many people on social media believe this is the same cat that became famous while at the Embassy with Julian Assange.
@DLVLK Why did we not hear about this from the #EmbassyCat ?
t.co/a9kUe4rprR
Embassy Cat reportedly moved out of the Embassy back in November 2018.
READ NEXT: Daily COVID-19 Updates