Jennifer Hudson turned down Precious

Jennifer Hudson has revealed she turned down the title role in Precious because she didn't want to pack on weight to play the abused single mum.

Fresh off her Oscars victory in Dreamgirls, director Lee Daniels approached the singer/actress and asked her to consider playing Precious - but she wasn't interested.

In her new memoir I Got This: How I Changed My Ways and Lost What Weighed Me Down, Hudson writes, "As much as I was moved by this film, I wanted to try a role that had nothing whatsoever to do with my weight."

Newcomer Gabourey Sidibe eventually won the role as Precious, while Hudson became a weightloss icon and WeightWatchers spokesperson.