Julian Assange became a father to two sons while spending seven years in the Ecuadorian embassy, it has emerged.

The WikiLeaks founder, who has been held in Belmarsh Prison since being dragged out of the embassy last year, was reportedly able to keep the births of Gabriel and Max secret from officials and diplomats.

He had to watch his fiancee Stella Morris, 37, give birth over video link while he was seeking refuge at the embassy. The revelations emerged in court documents in the US, where he faces 17 charges under the Espionage Act and one of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion.

The couple first met in 2011 and got engaged in 2017. The two boys, Gabriel and Max, are now three and one respectively.

Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, Ms Morris revealed Assange watched both children being born in London hospitals via live video link, and he was able to meet Gabriel after he was smuggled into the embassy.

A friend carried him into the embassy, appearing to pass off the child as their own, she said. She said: “I love Julian deeply and I am looking forward to marrying him”.

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“Over the past five years I have discovered that love makes the most intolerable circumstances seem bearable but this is different – I am now terrified I will not see him alive again.

“Julian has been fiercely protective of me and has done his best to shield me from the nightmares of his life.

“I have lived quietly and privately, raising Gabriel and Max on my own and longing for the day we could be together as a family”.

Read more: The Independent