USA: A slimmed-down Jennifer Hudson talks about how life has changed since losing weight

Record ID: 343386

  • Title: USA: A slimmed-down Jennifer Hudson talks about how life has changed since losing weight
  • Date: 17th September 2010
  • Summary: (*** FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ***) PAN UP FROM HUDSON'S FEET TO HER HEAD, SHOWING HER SLIMMED-DOWN FIGURE
  • Embargoed: 2nd October 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
  • Reuters ID: LVA1INR38WVIFS37KB798ZFUEF35
  • Story Text: "Dreamgirls" star Jennifer Hudson said on Wednesday (September 15) she can't wait to perform again, now that she has a slim new look.
    Hudson, 29, has dropped five dress sizes since joining a Weight Watchers program last year -- and having her first baby.
    The former American Idol contestant says that mainting a healthy weight is a way of life and takes a special state of mind.
    "It's a lifestyle and it's not something, it's not an on and off switch, it's not something you can just take once and it's going to last. It's a thing that takes work, it takes dedication and if you have that mindset and it's something you're determined to do, then you can do it and it can be done, but you have to be willing to want to make that happen and want to stay healthy and want to maintain and it's just as simple as that to me," Hudson said.
    But she said that slimming down was definitely worth the struggle.
    "The opportunities and just the reaction and everything about it has been amazing and like, I must admit I had no idea the change and the difference and what would happen after losing weight. It never dawned on me. I never thought about it, so now it's like a shocking factor to say 'Wow! Let's look at the difference of now versus then' and being in a place like that, you don't know what's on the other side until you cross to the other side. So being on this side and that side now, I can look at the difference and say, 'I had no idea this was over here'. All these opportunities, you know?"
    The singer is in the early stage of working on her new album and says she can't wait to show off her new figure on stage.
    "I do plan on touring and getting out there again, because I can't wait to perform again, with my new body," she told Reuters at a New York school, where she helped launch the Weight Watchers "Lose For Good" campaign to help fight obesity and hunger in young people.
    Hudson won a best supporting actress Oscar for her role in the 2006 musical "Dreamgirls" and recently finished shooting her role as Winnie Mandela in a movie about the life of the controversial ex-wife of former South African president Nelson Mandela.
    She said her new svelte frame would enhance her stamina when she hits the road to support her second album, expected in early 2011.
    Her 2008 debut album "Jennifer Hudson" yielded a Grammy and has sold more than one million copies.
    But the singer said she wants her new music to be "more flexible, more diverse".
    "I definitely want it to be more personal than the first album and just more me, you know? Whatever that is? I don't know yet, but I'm going to find out," she said.
    "I can say I feel just more lighter and freer and all of those things. You know, it's a good place and I'm excited about it."
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: Footage contains identifiable children: users must ensure that they comply with local laws and regulations governing the publishing of this material.
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