American Idol star Jennifer Hudson has revived her relationship with childhood sweetheart James Peyton, a month after she traded him in for a football player.

According to the National Enquirer, Hudson, 26, has ended her fling with New York Jets player Kerry Rhodes, 25 - and is back dating maintenance engineer James Peyton.

A close friend tells the tabloid, "Jennifer was so caught up in her own success - rising from American Idol finalist to winning an Academy Award for Dreamgirls - that she had to leave James behind. Her family and friends thought she was making a mistake. James had been wonderful to her - and it was not right to put him on the backburner after she had made it big. They discovered the spark was still there and soon they were back together."

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)