Stars including Professor Green, Laura Whitmore and Joe Wicks are backing a Children In Need appeal to help disadvantaged young people.

They are supporting Together, We Can alongside celebrities such as Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Giovanna Fletcher and Ella Henderson.

Rapper Professor Green and fitness guru Wicks also starred in a short film discussing issues including mental health, poverty, disability and bereavement.

Professor Green supports BBC Children in Need Together We Can campaign
Professor Green is among the stars backing a new Children In Need appeal (Children In Need/PA)

Love Island host Whitmore said: “Children and young people across the UK are currently facing a multitude of challenges, including illness, poverty, mental health problems, isolation, loneliness and social injustice, but there is always hope, and there is always kindness.

“Please do all you can to help make a difference this year, I promise you it will lead to amazing things for children and young people who really do need our support. Together, we can change young lives.”

In his film, Professor Green, whose real name is Stephen Manderson, discussed the challenges he faced during childhood and said: “When I was a kid, the phrase ‘mental health’ wasn’t something that you heard anywhere.

“There was no help really, and I didn’t know how to ask for it because I didn’t really understand what I was feeling myself.”

Joe Wicks MBE supports BBC Children in Need Together We Can campaign
Joe Wicks is another star backer of Together, We Can (Children In Need/PA)

He added: “You are resilient and you are strong. Open up and tell someone how you’re feeling. Do not suffer in silence. Never suffer in silence.”

Wicks also discussed growing up and addressed young people experiencing difficulties.

He said: “It’s not your fault and things are going to get better, that’s the most important thing to know, that however you’re feeling today, it’s temporary.

“Together, we can help children and young people across the UK know that they are not alone, and that we are here for them.”

The Children In Need appeal show will be broadcast on the BBC on Friday November 19.