Heart Evangelista recalls how she felt after losing 'second mom' Miriam Defensor Santiago

It's no secret that late senator Miriam Defensor Santiago played a huge role in Heart Evangelista's life.

She is, after all, the one who introduced the Kapuso actress to her now-husband, Sorsogon governor Francis “Chiz” Escudero.

In a one-on-one interview with dermatologist Aivee Teo, the 36-year-old actress candidly shared how she met the late senator in a little shopping escapade at a luxury department store.

She told Dr. Aivee, “She [Miriam Santiago] saw me in front of Rustan's when I was really, really young.

“She said, 'You're Heart Evangelista, right? My son adores you' -- and that son was the one that passed away. So, parang she found some kind of connection.”

From that day on, Heart and Sen. Miriam were inseparable to the point that the lawyer-politician was also the one who handled Heart's contracts.

“She even made me go to her office and lahat ng lawyers niya nakapila. She went, 'This is Heart Evangelista. She's going to be our new project,'” Heart said.

“Honestly, she's like a queen, 'cause whenever she walked in a room, everyone would stand up. Iba! Parang she came from an old world--an old soul.”

This prompted the Aivee to ask how the actress felt after losing a “second mother” back in 2016.

“I was crying because at the time we didn't talk as much,” she revealed.

“She was so protective over me. In fact, she only allowed me to get married if I got a prenup.”

Heart added, “But I feel like, in a way, she did me a favor because she introduced me to my husband and kind of placed it all together.”

Watch the full interview below:

Miriam Defensor Santiago died in her sleep at exactly 8:52 a.m. at St. Luke's Medical Center in Taguig City from lung cancer.

In 2016, GMA Network's drama romance anthology, Wagas, featured the story of Miriam Defensor-Santiago and her husband Narciso “Jun” Santiago, where the senator was played by Heart Evangelista.

Check out a snippet of the episode here:

Thanks to the little magic of Sen. Miriam, Heart Evangelista is now happily married to Chiz Escudero. Check out her life as a wife and a stepmom to Chiz's kids in this gallery: