London, Nov 18 Belle de Jour hooker Brooke Magnanti's mother has said that she is proud of her "brilliant" daughter for "standing up for herself".

Brooke, the research scientist, recently confessed that she worked as a 300 pound-an-hour call girl to fund her university studies.

And now, her mother 64, admitted she had been a "little shocked" to learn that her only child had supplemented her academic earnings as a prostitute.

"I know that my daughter has a very good head on her shoulders and I support her 100 per cent in what she has done and what ever she will do," she said. "I can't give her any more than that," the Telegraph quoted her a saying.

Talking of her daughter's writing acumen, Levy said she was now looking forward to getting an autographed copy her best-selling book about her career as a high-class call girl.

Brooke, 34, revealed at the weekend that she was the former prostitute who wrote a best-selling diary, later turned into a television series starring Billie Piper.

Levy said that her daughter had phoned her last week to break the news.

"I knew that her ex-boyfriend Owen was apparently going to out her, and she wanted to do some damage control," she said.

Levy also said that she always knew her daughter was a "fantastic writer", adding: "She has been writing stories since she was a kid, so that part did not surprise me."

Referring to the prostitution, she claimed she was a "bit surprised" more than shocked and said that her daughter's critics should be "ashamed",

"The subject matter is her subject matter and it is what she has done in her life," she said. (ANI)