James Van Der Beek, 47, was forced to publicly announce his cancer diagnosis before he had a chance to share the news with family

James Van Der Beek has revealed he felt forced to announce his cancer diagnosis to the world before he had the chance to tell his loved ones.

The actor, 47, shared his news on Instagram last weekend, but admitted this was before he would have liked to make it public.

James shared the announcement “on his own terms” and apologized to the “people in his life he wasn’t able to tell in person first.”

James explained that he had been told that a tabloid was planning to spread the news, so he rushed out with a statement before he had a chance to tell certain people.

He did not reveal in his post what type of cancer he was diagnosed with, although he did mention it People that he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

James Van Der Beek has revealed he felt forced to announce his cancer diagnosis to the world before he had the chance to tell his own family

The actor, 47, shared his news on Instagram last weekend but admitted this was before he would have liked to make it public

He wrote: ”It’s cancer…’ Approximately 2 billion people around the world are diagnosed with this disease every year. And I’m one of them,” he began.

“There’s no playbook for how you announce these things, but I planned to talk about it in depth with People magazine soon… to raise awareness and tell my story on my own terms,” ​​he added.

“But that plan had to change early this morning when I got word that a tabloid was going to break the news,” the actor continued.

“I have been dealing with this privately until now, getting the treatment and managing my overall health with more focus than ever before,” he continued.

‘I’m in a good place and I feel strong. It was quite an initiation, and I will tell you more when I am ready,” he insisted.

“Apologies to all the people in my life that I wish I could have said to myself. “Nothing about this process has occurred on my preferred timeline,” he added.

“But we’ll get on with it, treating each surprise as a signpost, pointing us toward a greater destiny than we would have discovered without divine intervention,” he said.

“Please know that my family and I truly appreciate all the love and support. More to come…’ he concluded.

The actor will be one of several celebrities to appear in Fox’s The Real Full Monty, a two-hour special in which celebrities strip naked to raise awareness of prostate, testicular and colorectal cancer testing and research.

He will be joined by Taye Diggs, Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones and Dancing With the Stars judge Bruno Tonioli.

“But that plan had to change early this morning when I got word that a tabloid was going to break the news,” the actor continued.

James shared the announcement ‘on his own terms’ and apologized to the ‘people in his life he hadn’t been able to tell in person first’ (pictured with two of his children)

Although it is unclear when he was first diagnosed with cancer, it certainly has not slowed him down professionally.

He most recently appeared in an episode of The CW’s Walker and will next be seen in the Tubi film Sidelined: The QB and Me, debuting on November 29.

Those projects were his first since 2021, when he provided the voice for Boris in the Disney animated series Vampirina.

The Van Der Beeks just celebrated Halloween on their 36-acre ranch in Texas with their six children: daughter Olivia, 14; son Joshua, 12; daughter Annabel, 10; daughter Emilia, 8; daughter Gwendolyn, 6; and son Jeremiah, 3.

Earlier on Sunday, the Connecticut-born blonde confirmed to People: “I have colon cancer. I have dealt with this diagnosis privately and have taken steps to resolve it, with the support of my wonderful family. There is reason for optimism, and I feel good.’

It is unclear what stage of colorectal cancer James has, but the disease is said to start in the colon or rectum in an average of one in 23 men, with 65% surviving past five years.