Professor Green has opened up about growing up in energy debt with his grandmother in Hackney as part of a new campaign.

The rapper is featured in British Gas advertisements Stop the Silence - which highlight the issue facing thousands in the UK.

Thirty-eight-year-old Pro Green, whose real name is Stephen Manderson, narrates parts of an emotive film which encourages people to ask for help if they are struggling with energy debt.

The film, directed by the award-winning Geej Ower, sees a single dad silently struggling with the emotional impact of not being able to pay his bills, without confiding in those around him.

Green said: “Reading the script was an emotional experience. As many people know, my parents weren’t around growing up and my grandmother raised me on an estate in Hackney.

“Money was tight, and there was always stress about paying our energy bill. Advice and services, like those provided by British Gas Energy Trust, just weren’t available to us and those around me. I urge families and individuals suffering in silence to reach out to British Gas Energy Trust to get the help they so desperately need.”

Search: British Gas Energy Trust.