Naomie Harris's mom helped her through Oscar nomination nerves

Naomie Harris was too nervous about the Oscar nominations to actually watch the announcement.

The British actress was thought likely to be among the nominees when they were announced on Tuesday (24Jan17) after wowing audiences with her portrayal of a drug addict in Barry Jenkins' coming-of-age drama Moonlight.

Naomie did receive a Best Supporting Actress nod for her role, but was so nervous about the nominations announcement she couldn't bear to watch, even though she was with her mother Carmen.

"I was with my mom," she tells the Daily Mail. "I was too nervous to watch the whole announcement and I couldn't be on my own. I was shouting that I couldn't cope with the tension and in any case I didn't think I'd be nominated."

She found out she would be up for a prize at the Academy Awards when her brother phoned her to tell her, and says she found out about her nod in "the best way possible".

Sharing the moment she officially became an Oscar nominee with her mother was especially important to the 40-year-old Skyfall star because Carmen brought her up by herself.

"My mom has always been here for me and I will always be here for her," she says.

Naomie is full of admiration for her mother, who while working to provide for her family earned a degree and eventually landed a job writing scripts for British soap opera EastEnders.

"She raised me on her own," she explains. "We had nothing and mom put herself through college to get herself a sociology degree."

The actress will find out whether she wins an Oscar on 26 February (17). She is up against Nicole Kidman, Octavia Spencer, Viola Davis, and Michelle Williams for the supporting actress prize.