James Van Der Beek shares symptom he initially brushed off before cancer diagnosis

James Van Der Beek has shared the symptoms he missed before being diagnosed with stage three colorectal cancer.

The 47-year-old father of six shot to fame playing the lead role as Dawson Leery in teen drama Dawson’s Creek, which ran between 1998 and 2003.

He announced his diagnosis in a statement on Monday (4 November), saying “there’s reason for optimism”, and is set to strip off to raise awareness about the condition.

“I’d always associated cancer with age and with unhealthy, sedentary lifestyles,” Van Der Beek told People about the runup to the health discovery.

“But I was in amazing cardiovascular shape. I tried to eat healthy — or as far as I knew it at the time.”

Last summer, the star says he cut coffee from his diet, thinking it was the reason for his irregular bowel movements. However, when this did not change his symptoms, he went to the hospital.

“Then the gastroenterologist said — in his most pleasant bedside manner — that it was cancer,” Van Der Beek said.

“I think I went into shock…. The trickiest thing is there are so many unknowns with cancer. You think, ‘How do I fix this? Is this healing me? Is this hurting me? Is this working? Is it coming back?’ As someone who likes answers, not knowing is one of the hardest things.”

Colorectal cancer is a type of cancer which starts in either the colon or the rectum, which are both part of the large intestine in the body’s digestive system.

In a statement to People, Van Der Beek revealed the news saying: “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.”

He added: “There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good.”

However, he was later forced to apologise to loved ones who discovered the news through the press, explaining that he had not expected the diagnosis to be announced so suddenly.

“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,” he wrote in the caption.

“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 shares six children with his wife Kimberly Van Der Beek: Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn and Jeremiah.