Mills was a co-director of a marquee hire company in his home town of Whitstable before appearing on The X Factor.
Mills' audition song for The X Factor was "Bring It On Home To Me" by Sam Cooke, which impressed the panel of judges; Simon Cowell thought he sounded like a young Joe Cocker, whom, incidentally, Ben names as one of his musical influences along with Tom Waits, Rod Stewart and David Bowie.
[2] In June 2011, Ben performed at the Music on the Hill festival at West Malling in Kent, on behalf of Demelza Hospice Care for Children, together with Katherine Jenkins, McFly, ABC, and Björn Again.
On 14 September 2019 Ben performed a charity concert at Wentworth golf club alongside Sir Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, Kenney Jones, Jim Cregan and members of Cregan and co at an event to raise funds for The Prostate Project.
On 6 September 2022 Ben and Layla announced the birth of their second child, a daughter called Penelope Rose Collett-Mills.