James Van Der Beek has colorectal cancer, a diagnosis he shared with the world before he was ready after he found out "a tabloid was going to run with the news," he writes on Instagram. The Dawson's Creek star says he was planning to break the news officially via an interview with People, just not quite this soon. He tells the magazine, "I've been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family. There's reason for optimism, and I'm feeling good." He adds, on Instagram, that he's "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 also apologized to those in his life who had to find out the news this way, rather than from him personally. "Nothing about this process has occurred on my preferred timeline," the 47-year-old writes. "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." Van Der Beek is starring in The Real Full Monty, a two-hour special in which male celebrities strip down to raise awareness for cancer testing and research, premiering Dec. 9 on Fox, TVLine reports. Van Der Beek, who has six kids, moved to Texas in 2020. (More James Van Der Beek stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
