Australia will welcome Julian Assange back – but, trust me, you wouldn’t want him in your spare room

I got to know the WikiLeaks founder when he was my house guest over a decade ago. He might have a phenomenal mind, but he could certainly improve on his domesticity, writes Kathy Lette

Julian Assange has left Belmarsh Prison and flown out of the UK, WikiLeaks has said (PA)

It’s the news we’ve been waiting for, even if, at times, it felt like it might never happen. My friend, Julian Assange, has finally been released from a high-security prison in the UK, after striking a deal with the US prosecutors to end the legal saga over classified documents leaked by the WikiLeaks founder; and I cannot wait to see him freed.

Heroic freedom fighter or maverick controversialist, he has long been a polarising character. I first got to know Julian as a house guest, rather than a hero, when, 13 years ago, he came to stay in my attic. I was married to human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson at the time and, as a result, our house was filled to the rafters with exiled prime ministers, banned poets, tabloid-dodging celebrities, political prisoners on the run… basically, I’ve had everybody in my attic except Dorian Gray.

Julian had been looking for legal advice in 2010 over sexual assault allegations. He was determined to clear his name, but feared extradition from Sweden to the US where he would be left to rot in some impenetrable supermax prison. I thought he was overreacting at the time. More fool me.