Teri Shields, who died in New York City last week, guided her young daughter to fame, putting Brooke, 47, in the spotlight at just 11 months old in a soap advertisement, reported the Hollywood Reporter.
"She protected me from so much of what is devastating about being in the entertainment industry - the rejection, the jealousy. The bubble she created around me was the biggest blessing she could have given me. The need to attack her is unnecessary," Brooke said.
Teri, who later became the actress' manager and helped Brooke land a controversial part as an underage prostitute in 1978's "Pretty Baby", faced a backlash for allowing her daughter to take on the provocative jobs.
But the former child star is adamant her mother did not deserve such harsh criticism.
In 1995, mother and daughter parted ways professionally after their relationship became strained due to Teri's struggle with alcoholism.
"I had to leave her because of her addiction. If I had a manager now, they wouldn't last five minutes if they were an alcoholic. It was long overdue. I needed to grab the reins and make my own mistakes," Brooke said.
