Professor Green is topping the charts, but despite his new-found success, he tells Andy Welch he’s as anxious as ever.

PROFESSOR Green is pacing around his dressing room at BBC Television Centre.

It’s an iconic building, its circular structure almost as famous as the shows made there over the years. If the London-born rapper wasn’t nervous enough on the eve of his album release and forthcoming tour, being here to make his debut on Later...With Jools Holland isn’t really helping.

“I’m not sleeping at the moment,” he says, looking like a man who really hasn’t been getting a lot of rest. Pointing to an uncomfortable half-plastic sofa in the corner of the room, he says with a shake of the head: “I got an hour in on there before.”

A few days previously, he performed Read All About It on The X Factor with Emeli Sande. It was a roaring success and the song went to No 1 in the singles chart, the appearance doing what it does for so many performers who take to the talent show’s stage.

There aren’t many artists who could perform on both The X Factor and Later just a few days apart.

In fact, the only other person to be invited on to both is Paul McCartney.

The 27-year-old, real name Stephen Manderson, doesn’t look the sort to be so anxious. There’s a swagger that brims with confidence, while his acutely delivered lyrics – a mixture of cheeky digs at celebrities, anger, confusion and hyper-personal introspection – aren’t really the hallmarks of a wallflower either.

Much of his anxiety stems from the death of his father in 2008. He dipped in and out of Pro’s life, while his mum was only 16 when he was born, meaning he was raised by his nan from the age of one.

He admits to trying therapy to help with his problems – largely anxiety and depression – but it didn’t work for him.

“It became a battle of wits,” he says, “and I just wondered what they were thinking all the time.

“The only thing that helps now is music. It’s a way to get all those emotions out and work out what I think.

“Worrying used to take so much time, but fortunately, I had a morning where I woke up and realised that I can’t be wasting my time on all that irrational fear.”

The suicide of Professor Green’s father obviously weighs on his mind, but the honest way in which he talks about it today is admirable. He says the absence of a father figure makes him scared to become one himself.

But he seems settled with girlfriend Candy Mc- Culloch, a Hollyoaks cast member and daughter of Echo And The Bunnymen frontman Ian “Big Mac’”McCulloch.

“We’ve been together over a year. A few bumps in the road,” he says with a smile, “but she understands my stupid schedule. She’s absolutely amazing.”

Talking about the serious and amusing sides to making records he says: “On the last album I had a rhyme about Pixie Lott, but we’re friends. And this time there’s one about Wayne Rooney too.”

The lyric says: “Obnoxious preposterous loony a damn nutter/if I ever see Rooney anywhere near my grandmother ah.”

“Colleen Rooney had a pop at me on Twitter when she heard about that one, but after she’d calmed down she was okay. She’s actually really good friends with Candy’s mum up in Liverpool.

There’s no malice, it’s just rapping.”

On performing and touring to Newcastle’s O2 Academy on December 1, he says “I’m more nervous now than I’ve ever been,” he says, “but the more things like this I do, the more it’s turning into excitement. I can’t wait to see what’s next.”

EXTRA TIME – PROFESSOR GREEN

• Stephen Paul Manderson was born in Hackney, London, on November 27, 1983.

• He released his first mixtape when he was 23, entitled Lecture £1.

• He was previously signed to Mike Skinner of The Streets’ label The Beats until it went bust in 2008.

• That same year, he won £50,000 in the first JumpOff MySpace rap contest.

• His single Just Be Good To Green featured Lily Allen on vocals.