Scotty Mills was born and raised in south London, joining the Royal Marines in his teens. He went on to become the highest-ranking commissioned black officer in Marines history. During his time in the Marines, he saw served numerous tours of duty overseas, but also worked with the England rugby World Cup-winning squad of 2003, the GB women's Olympic hockey team and Gareth Southgate's England football squad. His reputation as an inspirational leader and team builder led to him being described as 'Gareth's secret weapon' on television.