Pamela Anderson invites Macron for dinner so she can convince him to offer Assange asylum

Pamela Anderson has invited French President Emmanuel Macron to her vegan restaurant in Saint Tropez to persuade him to offer WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange asylum in France.

"As a resident of France, my adopted home, I would like to meet with you and discuss Julian's situation," the former Playboy cover girl wrote in a message to the French president on her blog.

"I am opening a new vegan restaurant in France in July, and I would like to extend my invitation to the new president and his First Lady.

"We will sit and eat good food and discuss what can be done for Julian. France could display its strength, and so could you, if you give Julian asylum," she wrote.

The US actress is a staunch supporter of Assange, who has been living in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for the past five years to avoid extradition to Sweden over rape allegations.

Despite Swedish authorities dropping the rape investigation, Assange still risks arrest if he leaves the embassy, British government officials have said.

Anderson describes the WikiLeaks founder as "a man risking so much with such little gratitude."

"My relationship with Julian – it's no secret. He is one of my favourite people and he might be the most famous, most politicised refugee of our time," she wrote on her blog.

"Think of a man putting everything aside to stand up to bullies, to say enough is enough, to take a stand for justice and truth."

In April, she asked the French presidential candidates what they would do for Assange if they won the election. Socialist candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon and far-right politician Marine Le Pen both promised to grant Assange asylum, but Macron did not clarify what he would do if he won.

During the presidential campaign, the WikiLeaks founder claimed he had damaging information on Macron. He told Russian newspaper Isvestia that as a junior economics minister Macron held a compromising conversation with Hillary Clinton, but did not give any further details. The information was released in a tweet which suggested that Macron had tried to hide his prior background in finance.

Anderson's vegan restaurant, La Table du Marche (The Market Table), will open on 4 July in the glitzy beach resort which is a popular summer destination for celebrities.