United Kingdom, Aug. 23 -- Hayden Panettiere's mom has denied she was ever "abusive" or pressured her daughter to succeed.

The late Heroes star - who died last weekend aged just 36 - was estranged from Lesley Vogel, which she had previously claimed stemmed from the way the boundaries between her as a parent and manager increasingly crossed, but her mother has now insisted she never forced her daughter to do anything she didn't want to do, though she admitted she was a demanding parent and acting coach.

She told Daily Mail online: "I was strong, definitely, but I was not abusive by any stretch of the imagination.

"I think that Hayden put a pressure on herself. I know that she has mentioned, you know, always had to please Mom, or make su...