Jennifer Hudson Talks Weight Loss, 'Shocking' Family Tragedy to Oprah

Entertainment Tonight, Thursday, February 10, 2011, 8:00am (PST)

An emotional Jennifer Hudson spoke out on the "Oprah Winfrey" show Thursday about the family tragedy that took her mother, brother and nephew, telling Oprah, "It's such a shocking thing and it's a lot to take in."

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Jennifer's family members were tragically murdered in Chicago on Oct. 24, 2008. William Balfour, the estranged husband of Jennifer's sister Julia, was indicted for the murders.

"It's a very emotional subject," said the singer, but she credited "my baby and God" in helping her get through the pain, "and holding onto the things that they taught us."

On being a new mom to nearly 2-year-old David -- whose dad is Hudson's fiancé, David Otunga -- Jennifer shared, "This is a whole new chapter, a whole new world."

Looking svelte and healthy, Jennifer also shared her Weight Watchers weight-loss victory story, saying, "It's like a brand-new me. Sometimes I don't even recognize myself ... I feel so empowered."

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Pressed by Oprah to reveal how much weight she's lost, Jennifer deflected, "I don't really like to count the pounds. I look at it like age, honey -- I feel like I got 10 years of my life back." The Grammy winner later revealed that she's lost 80 pounds. She used to wear a size 16 dress, and now she wears a size 6.

"It takes a while to adjust to it mentally," she said. As for her fiancé's reaction, Jennifer said, "He has to get adjusted to it just the same as I do," but he said she looks "beautiful."

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Jennifer also performed "Where You At," the first single from her upcoming album, "I Remember Me," which drops March 22.

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