Dawson’s Creek’s James Van Der Beek ‘feels strong’ after cancer diagnosis

He said he was forced to share the news ahead of his “preferred timeline.”

James Van Der Beek is speaking out publicly amid his private battle with cancer. The Dawson’s Creek alumbest known for playing Dawson Leary Joey Potter Katie Holmes about the long-running Warner Bros. series, revealed in a Nov. 3 interview with People that he feels hopeful after opening up about his diagnosis of colorectal cancer.

“I’ve been dealing with this diagnosis privately and taking steps to deal with it, with the support of my incredible family.” University blues the actor told the newspaper about his diagnosis. “There is reason for optimism and I feel good.” Shortly after the news became public, the 47-year-old star also headed out to Instagram to share more details about his health struggles, including why he felt compelled to share this announcement now.

“It’s cancer… Every year, approximately 2 billion people around the world are diagnosed with it. And I’m one of them,” he wrote before apologizing to family and friends who had to find out about the news online.

He continued: “There’s no playbook on how to (announce) these things, but I planned to talk about it at length with People at some point soon… to raise awareness and tell my story on my own terms.” However, Van Der Beek said his plan changed on Sunday morning when he learned the tabloid planned to publish the news without his consent.

“I apologize to all the people in my life that I planned to tell myself,” he added. “Nothing about this process has happened on my desired schedule… But we roll with it, taking each surprise as a signpost pointing us to a greater destiny than we could have discovered without divine intervention.”

Van Der Beek also shared the details of his treatment, saying: “So far I’ve been doing it privately, getting treatments and dialing in my overall health with more focus than ever before. I am in a good place and I feel strong. It was a real initiation and I’ll tell you more when I’m ready.’

“Please know that my family and I deeply appreciate all the love and support. Ahead,” he signed the message. Tagging his wife Kimberly, Van Der Beek accompanied the heartfelt post with a video montage of him with one of his children and his dog to Richard LaForge’s “Autumn Breeze.”