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James Van Der Beek, who rose to fame as Dawson Leery on Dawson’s Creek has announced he has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
The 47-year-old revealed the diagnosis in an interview with People, thanking his “incredible family.”
“I have colorectal cancer. I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family,” he told the publication.
“There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good,” he added.
In a separate Instagram post, Van Der Beek revealed more about his decision to speak out – revealing it hadn’t happened in the way he had hoped.
“Each year, approximately 2 billion people around the world receive this diagnosis. And I’m one of them,” he shared.
“There’s no playbook for how announce these things, but I’d planned on talking about it at length with People magazine at some point soon… to raise awareness and tell my story on my own terms. But that plan had to be altered early this morning when I was informed 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,” the star added. “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.
“Apologies to all the people in my life who I’d planned on telling myself. Nothing about this process has occurred on my preferred timeline… 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.
“Please know that my family and I deeply appreciate all the love and support.”
The actor, who recently appeared on an episode of Walker, has been actively working as he navigates his health. He is set to star in Sidelines: The QB and Me, which premieres November 29 and is joining The Real Full Monty in December, a two-hour special to raise awareness for prostate, testicular, and colorectal cancer testing and research.
Van Der Beek and his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, are parents to six children: Olivia, 14, Joshua, 12, Annabel, 10, Emilia, 8, Gwendolyn, 6, and Jeremiah, 3.
The pair tied the knot in 2010, with the actor seemingly hinting at his recent cancer diagnosis during an anniversary tribute in August.
“Nothing could have prepared us for this past year – except perhaps the previous 12,” he wrote. “Thank you for being the most incredible partner. You’ve broken me open in spots I didn’t even know were locked, and taught me how to receive more love than I thought possible.”
Van Der Beek previously opened up to Good Morning America about the decision to move his family of eight to Texas in 2020 in search of more space and what he called “a better connection to nature.”
Admitting he was ready to put himself back out there after hitting pause on his Hollywood career, the actor told the publication in 2023 that “this break has been really, really good for me. I think I’ve probably figured out a lot more of who I am and what’s important in these last couple of years.”
