Dawson's Creek star James Van Der Beek has spoken about his decision to go public with his cancer diagnosis.
The 47-year-old actor revealed he had bowel cancer in a lengthy Instagram post on Sunday and that an unnamed tabloid was preparing to run the story, so he decided to beat them to the punch.
Van Der Beek said he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer—a cancer that starts in the colon or rectum—and was planning on doing a feature interview with People magazine about, but was forced to reveal it sooner than planned.
"There's no playbook for how announce these things... 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," Van Der Beek said in the post.
He added that while he was deciding on how to tell the world about his diagnosis, he was getting treatment and focusing on his health.
"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," he wrote on Instagram.
"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 thanked his fans for their outpouring of support and People ended up running an interview with him on the same day.
"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," the Dancing with the Stars alum told the outlet.
"There's reason for optimism, and I'm feeling good."
Newsweek contacted Van Der Beek's representatives by email for comment.
The actor has been married to business consultant Kimberly Van Der Beek since 2010. The couple has six children: Olivia, 13, Joshua, 12, Annabel, 10, Emilia, seven, Gwendolyn, six, and Jeremiah, two.
Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the U.S. among men and women combined, according to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, and with early detection it has a 90 per cent survival rate.
Symptoms of bowel cancer include blood in or on your stool, unexplained weight loss, changing bowel habits and persistent abdominal discomfort.
Fans reacted to Van Der Beek's diagnosis in the comments of his Instagram post.
"Im so sorry that a tabloid has violated your privacy like this.. this is your story that you should have had the full autonomy to share on your timeline and on your terms. Lifting up your whole family. ❤️" wrote meteorologist Bree Sunshine Smith.
"Oh James, I'm so sorry you didn't get to address this news on your own terms. I know that when the time comes, your voice & experience will be so valuable. My thoughts are with you and your sweet family ," commented @margaret.merriweather.
"Praying for you and your beautiful family, James. And I'm sorry you didn't get to tell the world when you wanted to," added Community actor Yvette Nicole Brown.
English (US) ·