In 1994, she was cast in the regular role of Annie Dutton on Guiding Light, which earned her the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1998.

She attended Macomb Community College in Clinton Township, Michigan,[1] and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theatre from Boston University,[2] where she was part of the Professional Actors Training Program.

[5] Watros was also the lead in the 2007 CBS television pilot for The Rich Inner Life of Penelope Cloud, a comedy about a former literary genius who, after an awakening, decides to pursue optimism instead of cynicism.

In a May 2009 episode of the USA series In Plain Sight, "A Stand-Up Triple", she guest starred as a mother of three children in the witness protection program.

Beginning in April 2010, Watros joined the cast of the TV medical drama House for seven episodes as Samantha Carr, one of Dr. James Wilson's ex-wives.

[3][7] Watros also made a guest appearance in the digital drama series Misguided, playing a waitress named Anne, a nod to her role as Annie Dutton on Guiding Light.

[10] In 2008, Watros participated in a USO tour to Iraq, visiting several bases, including COP Callahan in Baghdad's East Adamiyah area.