Prior to hosting the Rape Foundation’s annual brunch in Beverly Hills, actress Angela Bassett opened up about her “devastating” sexual abuse experience.

The 61-year old shared that as a pre-teen, she was taken advantage of by her mother’s boyfriend, who came into her room at night and fondled her breasts.

“Fortunately, it wasn’t a complete assault, it was fondling, but it was devastating enough for a child who’s 12 or 13,” Bassett told .

Fortunately, when Angela told her mother, she didn’t hesitate to take swift action.

”Thankfully, to have a mother who could tell as soon as light broke that this happened and for her to expel him [meant a lot],” Bassett continued. “That she heard me, believed me, and did something about it, I think was so empowering for me as a young teen, as a young woman.”

Now as a mother to teenage twins, Bronwyn and Slater Vance, with husband Courtney B. Vance, Angela says her focus is to make sure her kids know the importance of boundaries.

The Rape Foundation’s brunch event raises money for the Stuart House, a program of the Rape Treatment Center at UCLA-Santa Monica’s Medical Center.