MUMBAI: Singer Jennifer Hudson says she speaks to her dead mother and brother "all the time", while adding that god gave her the strength to get through the tragic family murders.

The 34-year-old was left devastated in 2008 when her mother- Darnell Donaldson, brother- Jason, and seven-year-old nephew Julian King were murdered by her sister's estranged husband William Balfour, but she still tries to retain a connection to her late family members, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Asked in an interview by CBS News if she ever has conversations with her mother in her head, Hudson said: “All the time. And my brother, if he was here, if I was sitting up crying, he'll say, 'Jenny, knock it off. Knock it off!'"

Hudson, who has six-year-old son David Jr. with fiancé David Otunga, testified during the murder trial, and attended every day of the case, though she admits it was the "toughest thing ever".

However, the ‘Spotlight’ singer had the strength to attend court because god "came to her" and told her to "keep going".

"I remember god came to me, like, right when everything happened, because I was like, 'What do I do?!' And he said, 'I want you to get up and keep going'," said the former ‘American Idol’ contestant.

"And you don't question God. I said, 'Okay, let's go.'"