Jennifer Hudson has landed a deal with Dutton books to write about her weight-loss journey, the publisher announced Tuesday.
Hudson, 29, was a finalist on the third season of “American Idol” and went on to win an Oscar in 2007 for playing Effie White in “Dreamgirls” opposite Beyonce Knowles.
The book announcement, from an imprint of Penguin Books, comes after reports Hudson was struggling to find a publisher because she refused to write about the slaying of her family, according to the New York Post.
Hudson’s mother, Darnell Donnerson, her older brother, Jason, and her seven-year-old nephew, Julian King, were killed in October 2008, allegedly by her brother-in-law, William Balfour, who was indicted for murder. The singer rarely speaks about the tragedy.
The Grammy-winner’s yet untitled memoir, to be published in 2012, will only deal with her struggle to lose 80 pounds (36 kilos) once she was catapulted to fame and will not delve into her family history.
It will “inspire anyone coping with weight issues, share some of her own best tips for losing and maintaining weight loss, fitting in exercise and keeping it fun and much more,” according to the publisher’s release.