Fresh off her Oscars victory in Dreamgirls, director Lee Daniels approached the singer and actress, asking 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, while Hudson became a weightloss icon and WeightWatchers spokesperson.