Jodi Santamaria

Sta. Maria was married to Panfilo "Pampi" Lacson Jr., the son of Senator Panfilo Lacson, from whom she is now separated. The two met during a taping of Tabing Ilog and married at the age of 22. The marriage lasted for five years. They have a son born in 2005 named Panfilo "Thirdy" Lacson III. In a 2016 interview, Sta. Maria revealed that she was greatly affected by her separation from Lacson, which resulted in alcoholism and drug use. She quit smoking, alcohol, and drugs after the intervention of actress Coney Reyes and became a Born again Christian. The success of her TV series Be Careful With My Heart in 2012 also helped her recover from her addictions.

In 2010, she starred in Noah alongside Piolo Pascual, who has called her a 'thinking actress'. In 2011, she played Sophia in the critically acclaimed 100 Days to Heaven. In 2012, Jodi became her special participation as Young Olivia La Peña in the daytime drama series Mundo Man ay Magunaw until she rose up when she top-billed the sleeper hit Be Careful With My Heart as Maya dela Rosa along with Richard Yap who played her love interest, Richard Lim. The show became a success worldwide, spawning albums, worldwide tours, and concerts.

Sta. Maria attended De La Salle University-Dasmariñas and studied Medical Biology as her prerequisite to studying Medicine. She left college after a year due to the sudden success of her serial Be Careful With My Heart, which was extended from its intended run of 3 months to 2 and 1/2 years. Sta. Maria will be finishing her degree in Psychology at Southville International School and Colleges in 2020. She was a Dean's Lister during her last semester in 2019.

In 2020, she comes back as an titular protagonist/antagonist role in Ang sa Iyo ay Akin, opposite Iza Calzado.