In an exclusive interview with The Sun today Ben Mills has opened up about his past drug habit, how he feels to have left the X Factor 2006 and how he disappeared for 2 days when he found out about the winners single.

Bens departure from the X factor marks the end of his drug free year. Speaking about his addiction Ben said:

He said: “The last time I did drugs, I woke up after a five-day bender.

“I was outside most of the time, lying on the beach, I was in a really bad state.

He said: “I took myself to see a counsellor. She was brilliant. She really could see I didn’t want to do it anymore but because of my circle of friends I found it hard to turn them down, so I just stopped going out.�

Ben also wished the remaining X Factor contestants Ray and Leona luck in the final:

He said: “Obviously I would have loved to have made it but this show is made for Leona and Ray. It’s their type of music, their type of glossy performance. They’re both stage school kids and a part of me feels like I couldn’t compete against that.

“Leona’s squeaky clean and Ray’s got all the mums and teenage girls’ votes.�

“But I wish them all the best — they are both hugely talented.�

Ben also revealed how he went missing for two days after hearing that the winners single would be a Kelly Clarkson track:

He said: “When I first heard the song, I just thought, ‘There is no way I can sing this — this is not me at all’.

“It was way more suited to Leona than me. I called up Sharon and went over to hers to play it. She agreed that it wasn’t for me and phoned Simon.

“But I have to admit that it all got too much for me, I thought there’s no way I could win. And if I’m honest, I thought a song like that could ruin my credibility. So I got in a taxi and I went home to my mum.�

He spent two days at home in Whitstable, Kent, with his mobile phone switched off — leaving show bosses panicking.

Ben said: “When I turned it back on, I have to say I had some of the angriest messages I’ve ever heard from the producers — ranting and all sorts. Simon then rang me and I couldn’t believe it.

“He told me I was getting a totally different arrangement. And I felt like such an idiot because when I returned I went into the studio and record producer Steve said, ‘I want it to sound like Aerosmith’.

“And in the end, my version sounded wicked, nothing like the original single so all my moaning was for nothing. It’s just a pity that no one’s ever going to get to hear it.�