Mónica Santa María

Mónica Janette Santa María Smith, (6 December 1972 – 13 March 1994) was a Peruvian model and TV hostess. She was born in Lima, Peru, and became very popular when she hosted the Peruvian children's TV show Nubeluz. She was the second daughter of Danilo Santa María and Judith Smith, a Canadian citizen.

Biography

Early life

She went to the school "Colegio Nuestra Señora del Carmen", also known as "Carmelitas", located in Miraflores.

Because of her beauty and outgoing personality, she became a successful model. At the age of nine, she started her professional career as a model by starring her first TV commercial. At the age of eleven, she did a TV commercial for a well-known shampoo named "Ammen". This commercial is still remembered by many Peruvians. When she turned 13, she became the main model for the Peruvian cosmetic company Yanbal, Unique today. In this job she met Almendra Gomelsky, who would be her friend for 8 years.

La Dalina Chiquita

After successfully finishing the school in December 1989, she was elected for being one of the animators of the children'S TV show Nubeluz. She and her friend Almendra Gomelsky hosted the children's TV Show Nubeluz from late 1990 to early 1994. Both were named "Dalinas", this was a short word for "Dama Linda" which means "Pretty Lady". Mónica was "La Dalina Chiquita" ("The small dalina"); because of her height, Almendra was "La Dalina Grande" ("The big dalina").

Nubeluz was watched by more than 24 million Spanish-speaking people, and it was translated into other languages like English, Turkish and Chinese. After a short time in the air, the show became a success and it's until now the best Peruvian television show ever made.

Personal life

Mónica studied management in a center of business, which belonged to the University del Pacifico in Lima, but had to quit because she frequently had to go on tours, mostly around Peru and Latin America, to promote the show.

Mónica suffered from depression, stress and apparently from bipolar disorder.

In March 1993 she decided to quit Nubeluz to live with her boyfriend Constantino Heredia in the capital city of the United States, Washington D. C.. After six months she decided to go back to Peru and host with Almendra and another two "Dalinas" Nubeluz.

Death

Mónica was found dead on her bed on Monday March 14, 1994. The police concluded that she shot herself with a gun between 2:30AM and 3:00AM on March 13. Monica left a message on Constantino's cellphone, in this message it was clear to hear her intention to commit suicide. She had been dead for 32 hours when her body was found.

After Mónica's death Nubeluz began to decline until it ended in the summer of 1996.

Monica was buried in the cemetery Jardines de la Paz in the district of La Molina in Lima-Peru.

References