“Dawson’s Creek” star James Van Der Beek revealed he is battling a colorectal cancer diagnosis.
The 47-year-old actor shared his shocking health update during a recent interview with People published Nov.3.
“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,” Van Der Beek said. He shared a lengthy post to his Instagram account the same day with a more personal update for his 1.5 million fans and followers.
“Each year, approximately 2 billion people around the world receive this diagnosis. And I’m one of them,” he wrote to his social media page.
“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,” he said.
The famous actor explained that he felt the need to issue his own statement after discovering the media threatened to break the story.
“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 said.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 20: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) James Van Der Beek attends the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 20, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)
“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,” he told his fans.
It was apparent that this was not the way he wanted to discuss his plans, nor the pace he was hoping to embrace.
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 26: James Van Der Beek attends Strong Suit by Ilaria Urbinati Launch Party at Nordstrom Local in Los Angeles on April 26, 2018. (Photo by Donato Sardella/Getty Images for Nordstrom)
“Apologies to all the people in my life who I’d planned on telling myself,” Van Der Beek said.
“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.” (RELATED: Doctors Diagnose Harvey Weinstein With Cancer: REPORT)
Van Der Beek continues to work on his acting projects as he processes through his medical treatments. He recently appeared on an episode of “Walker” and is poised to star in “Sidelined: The QB and Me,” a Tubi original film that is slated for Nov. 29 release.
This article was originally published at dailycaller.com
