Today marks one full year since the heart-wrenching death of “The Young and the Restless’” Jeanne Cooper, the much-loved and celebrated actress who played Katherine Chancellor for 40 years. During the final weeks of her life, her son, Corbin Bernsen, kept fans updated on his mother’s deteriorating status via honest and touching social media posts, and he’s once again championing the woman the daytime community misses so much — this time, with a candid interview with TV Guide.

“This year has been very challenging, enlightening and exhausting — especially hard in these last few days leading up to the anniversary,” says the actor, who will be appearing as Father Todd Williams on “Y&R” once again on Thursday, June 19.

“My mom was the center of my support system, that place I always went to talk things through, whether I was feeling joy or fear. She was always there with a huge, open heart and the best advice… [but] I’ve been working with a holistic specialist, trying to bring my body into balance, and part of making that happen is putting my mom’s death into a healthier perspective. I really need to let her go, let her go into the infinite. I can’t keep hanging onto this rope that connects us. That doesn’t mean I can’t call on her when I need her. She will always be with me. But it’s time for us both to move on. It won’t be easy, but I’m looking forward to breaking on through. It’s what she would have wanted.”

To read more, check out the full TV Guide story here. And be sure to catch Bernsen’s “Y&R” appearance on Thursday, June 19.