In an emotional Instagram post published this weekend, James Van Der Beek announced that he has been privately battling colorectal cancer—but is “in a good place and feeling strong.”
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“Each year, approximately 2 billion people around the world receive this diagnosis. And I’m one of them,” wrote the Dawson’s Creek star in his Instagram caption. On Sunday, the 47-year-old revealed that he originally intended to share his diagnosis with the world via an exclusive interview with People magazine, but changed his plans that morning after getting wind that a tabloid was going to run with the news.
“I’ve been dealing with this privately until now, getting treatment and dialing in my overall health with greater focus than ever before,” he continued. “I’m in a good place and feeling strong. It’s been quite the initiation, and I’ll tell you more when I’m ready.”
Van Der Beek proceeded to apologize to those in his life whom he had hid the diagnosis from. “Nothing about this process has occurred on my preferred timeline,” he wrote. “But we roll with it, taking each surprise as a signpost, pointing us toward a greater destiny than we would have discovered without divine intervention.”
A true ’90s heartthrob, Van Der Beek broke hearts as Dawson Leery, the titular protagonist of Dawson’s Creek, from 1998 to 2003. He also starred in films such as Varsity Blues, The Rules of Attraction, and Labor Day. His next major project is the original Tubi movie Sidelined: The QB and Me, which comes out on November 29. In December, Van Der Beek will appear in The Real Full Monty, a two-hour special in which a group of male celebrities, including Taye Diggs, Dancing With the Stars judge Bruno Tonioli, and Anthony Anderson, will strip down to their skivvies in order to raise awareness and money for prostate, testicular, and colorectal cancer testing and research.
In the Instagram post, Van Der Beek tagged his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, with whom he shares six children: Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn, and Jeremiah. He ended his announcement by expressing gratitude to his fans for their support at this time. “Please know that my family and I deeply appreciate all the love and support,” he wrote. “More to come…”
