Tinie Tempah has rolled back the years and joined an anti-bullying initiative following an incident that occurred during his younger years in which he stepped in to help one of his friends who was being targeted.

The 26-year-old rapper stood up for one of his pal's who was being bullied at school and as a result such incidents have remained close to his heart, so he has teamed up with Cartoon Network and Childline to launch a new campaign, 'CN Buddy Network: Be A Buddy Not A Bully'.

He said: ''I'm really pleased to be working with Cartoon Network to encourage kids to take a stand against bullying. ''This is a very real issue that affects kids of all ages across the UK every single day. I saw it happening when I was at school and by being there for the kid who was being picked on, I helped him see that he wasn't alone.

''Even if I only helped in some small way, I'm glad I did it. It's so important that kids understand that bullying is never acceptable and that it's okay to open up and talk about their experiences - whether they're being bullied or see someone being bullied. ''We all have it in us to help, simply by being friendly, kind and considerate to others.''

Tinie appeared in an on-air campaign on Cartoon Network today (17.11.14) which also included an original series of animated shorts addressing the viewpoints of the bully, the bullied and the observer. Cartoon Network plans to roll out its anti-bullying campaign 'CN Buddy Network: Be A Buddy Not A Bully' - in other countries across the EMEA region in 2015.

Kids can visit Cartoonnetwork.co.uk/beabuddy for more information, resources, professional advice and tips and visit Cartoon Network UK's YouTube channel to watch the original animated shorts and video messages from Tinie Tempah and Anna Williamson.