Her life has been filled with dramatic ups and downs, and Jennifer Hudson recently got real about how her fiance David Otunga saved her life.

The “American Idol” alum explained, "I remember it like yesterday. And I was literally pickin' up my bags to walk out the door to go to my mother's house. And he called me, like, 'Can you come out here instead of going, you know?' And I was like, 'Okay, sure.' And that one decision, that one thing, I wouldn't be sittin' here."

As it turns out, Jennifer was on her way to her mom’s house just before her mother, brother, and nephew were murdered, and without that phone call, she likely would have been killed as well.

Since than, Hudson has dropped a bunch of weight, taken her career to the next level, and written a book about the power of a positive attitude called “I Got This,” set to release January 10th.

"That's just how I look at things. Instead of second-guessing myself or doubting things, or even defeating myself before I even try. That's where this came from. You know what -- I Got This. That's why I wrote this book. It's like I wanna be that voice cheering others on you know. And if I got this, you got it too."