Lawyer X Nicola Gobbo denies ever breaching lawyer-client privilege during her years working as a police snitch, dishing the dirt on Melbourne's gangland figures.
In an explosive interview with the ABC's 7.30 program aired on Tuesday, Ms Gobbo spoke from an undisclosed foreign location, saying if she ended up in the courtroom dock for her behaviour, Victoria Police should join her.
She denied breaching legal privilege, adding that information she passed to police was about third parties.
"If you came to me and you were charged with murder and you sought my advice, anything you tell me about your murder charge is subject to privilege," Ms Gobbo said.
"But If in the course of talking to me you told me all about your mate Bob who had guns hidden in his house, anything you tell me about Bob is not privileged. It can't be."
Ms Gobbo's betrayal of criminal clients sparked a royal commission into police informers but she has so far avoided speaking to the inquiry, claiming to be too unwell.
She said she suffers severe depression, has had suicidal thoughts and since July 2004, when she had a stroke, suffers acute pain in her face.
"I feel like ripping my face off," she said.
Ms Gobbo was a registered informer three times on and off between 1996 and 2009, ratting on clients including drug kingpin Tony Mokbel and underworld killer Carl Williams.
She said the extent of her informing had been "grossly misreported and is perhaps misunderstood".
When asked of her past relationship with ex-detective Paul Dale, Ms Gobbo admitted they slept together.
She once wore a wire for police to record Mr Dale as the force investigated him.
"I was manipulated and pressured by the homicide squad," she said.
Ms Gobbo's informing helped convict Frank Orman who was pardoned and released from prison earlier this year. She said he should never have been convicted based on material available at his trial.
The prospect of others having convictions quashed based on her informing prompted Ms Gobbo to blame police.
"I'm not trying to say I played no role in doing anything and that I have no responsibility ... but ultimately, anything that I did or said or was told to do was with the imprimatur of the chief commissioner of the police."
The force, which Ms Gobbo intends to sue, should share any criminal responsibility, she said.
"We will be in the dock together."
Among her greatest regrets are "believing anything Victoria Police ever told me" and the impact her informing has had on her two children.
She said they are "stateless" and living overseas where they can't secure residency.
Ms Gobbo says police have warned her if she returns to Australia, they will have child protection authorities remove her children from her custody for their safety.
She added that her "greatest fear is police themselves" and that she would never accept witness protection.
She believed the force would either "kill me or to lead to a position where I am killed".
Ms Gobbo is due to give evidence by phone to the royal commission from January 29.
"Victoria Police will not comment on the security arrangements of any person who might be at risk as to do so can compromise that person's safety," the force said in a statement in response to questions about Ms Gobbo's comments.
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