James Van Der Beek Explains Why He Felt He Had To Keep His Cancer Diagnosis Secret

LOADINGERROR LOADINGThe news of James Van Der Beek’s colorectal cancer diagnosis came as a surprise to many — but the actor didn’t plan it that way.On Sunday, the “Dawson’s Creek” alum announced his diagnosis via People.“I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family,” the 47-year-old father of six told the magazine in an exclusive.Advertisement After the news broke on Sunday, the “Varsity Blues” star followed up his announcement with an eye-opening post published to his Instagram account that same day, in which he explained why he felt the need to keep his health status a secret.James Van Der Beek in a promo for the 2020 Hulu film "Bad Hair."Deadline via Getty Images“Each year, approximately 2 billion people around the world receive this diagnosis.And I’m one of them,” he began.

“There’s no playbook for how [to] 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, as the “Rules of Attraction” star went on to explain, this plan “had to be altered early this morning when I was informed that a tabloid was going to run with the news.” Advertisement The “Don’t Trust the B―― in Apartment 23” alum went on to reveal that some of his loved ones weren’t even aware of his diagnosis until they learned it through the press.“Apologies to all the people in my life who I’d planned on telling myself,” he said.

“Nothing about this process has occurred on my preferred timeline…”Van Der Beek also noted that although he’s been “dealing with this privately until now” he’s “in a good place and feeling strong.” Your Support Has Never Been More CriticalOther news outlets have retreated behind paywalls.At HuffPost, we believe journalism should be free for everyone.Would you help us provide essential ...