(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Katherine Heigl says her mother is the main person in the world whose respect she hopes to earn.

The 31-year-old has had a hugely successful acting career, and is best known for her role in the hit US television series Greys Anatomy and movies such as Knocked Up and The Ugly Truth. Despite achieving so much already, Katherine insists her main ambition in life is to gain the respect of her mother, Nancy Heigl, who she is very close to.

Shes been my number-one supporter, and Ive been hers. Shes the one person whose respect I hope to earn, gushed the star in an interview with the British edition of Cosmopolitan magazine.

Katherine was initially worried their relationship would suffer when she left home in her early 20s, but her fears were unjustified as their bond has simply strengthened over the years.

My mum was my roommate and only friend for a long time because its hard to meet people in Hollywood. I didnt move out until I was 22 and suddenly I was living on my own which was terrifying, she explained. We were both going, What is going to happen to our relationship? But it survived and now its as strong as ever.

Katherine also spoke of how she has only recently begun to understand the trauma her parents experienced when her older brother died in a car crash when she was just seven years old.

The actress says becoming a mother to her adopted 18-month daughter Naleigh with her musician husband Josh Kelley made her realise just how devastating losing a child must be.

I sat with my parents pain since I was seven years old [when her 15-year-old brother was killed in a car accident], and it was really devastating to all of us. But I didnt really understand what they went though until I became a mother myself, she explained. (C) Cover Media