The 29-year-old, who is preparing for his fourth live performance this weekend, confessed: "I miss the freedom of driving around in a van. In the house, you don't get much time to yourself. It is quite crowded in there. But to be honest, I've made such good friends with a lot of people in there.

"You don't expect to get on with everybody but we're all really supportive, and living with people that are all aspiring to do the same thing is quite inspiring in itself."

Despite his revelation, Ben plans to pursue a singing career, regardless of where he reaches on the talent show.

"I've had a lot of knock-backs in my years doing it as an amateur singer in a band and this has really spurred me on to definitely do something more," said Ben. "I'm loving every minute of it and if I can carry on singing and do it anywhere, then I definitely will."