It's meow or n ever! - JENNIFER CLAWS HER WAY TO THE TOP

The star forges on in memory of her family

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Jennifer Hudson has a special way of keeping track of her biggest achievements in life – she names her pets after them.

One of her dogs is Oscar and one Grammy, while her newest puppy has been given the moniker Dreamgirl in honour of the movie that catapulted her to stardom.

No prizes, then, for guessing what she might name the next addition to her family.

Laughs Jennifer, who stars in the big-screen version of the musical Cats, opening in New Zealand on Boxing Day, “I’m thinking about getting a cat and naming it Grizabella.”

Jennifer joins a host of fellow A-listers in the adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s smash-hit stage musical, including Taylor Swift, Dame Judi Dench, Idris Elba, Rebel Wilson and Sir Ian McKellen.

And Hollywood is already abuzz with praise for her rendition of Grizabella, the shabby outcast feline who stops the show with the song “Memory”. If the pundits are correct, she might have to name her next dog Oscar II.

The world of glittering awards shows is certainly a far cry from where Jennifer started life. Born and raised in Chicago – the city she still calls home – Jennifer, her brother Jason and sister Julia were brought up by their single mum Darnell Donerson.