Dawson’s Creek actor James Van Der Beek discusses cancer diagnosis
James Van Der Beek has been diagnosed with cancer.
The Dawson’s Creek actor, known for his role as Dawson Leery, has confirmed that he has colorectal cancer.
While opening up on social media, James said he’s been ‘dealing with this privately’, and getting treatment while focusing on his overall health.
He posted a video to his 1.5M Instagram followers, revealing that he’s had to share the news of his diagnosis earlier than he planned to because ‘a tabloid was going to post about the story’ without his permission.
In the caption of his video, the 47-year-old explained, “‘It is cancer…’. Each year, approximately 2 billion people around the world receive this diagnosis. And I’m one of them”.
“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”.
He continued, “I’ve been dealing with this privately until now, getting treatment and dialing in my overall health with greater focus than ever before. 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”.
The actor added, “Please know that my family and I deeply appreciate all the love and support. More to come…”.
Sharing the news exclusively with People, James stated, “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”, referencing his wife Kimberly and their six children – Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn and Jeremiah.
“There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good”, he went on to confess.
