James Van Der Beek broke down in tears as he opened up about his cancer diagnosis and how his family helped him through it.
The 47-year-old Dawson’s Creek star revealed last month that he had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer and had “taken steps to resolve it with the support” of his incredible family.
Speaking to Robin Roberts in a Good Morning America interview on Tuesday, James’ voice cracked when asked if his wife of 14 years, Kim, was his “rock.”
“I’m going to lose it,” he told Robin. ‘She was amazing, she really taught me what unconditional love is.
“And I’m someone who in the past always tried to do everything for everyone and never asked for help myself, and this has put me in the position where I have to ask for help and get help.
“And the beautiful blessing of that is I’ve seen how many people have shown up in my life.”
When asked how he was feeling now, James admitted: “Physically I’m great, I feel good… emotionally it’s a lot, it’s really a ride.”
Referring to the first time he was told he had cancer, James recalled: “I was honestly in shock. “I did what I thought I was supposed to do by having a colonoscopy, I was in great cardiovascular shape and I ate what I thought was healthy.”
James Van Der Beek broke down during an appearance on Good Morning America on Tuesday
The actor praised his “amazing” wife Kim, saying she showed him what “unconditional love” was. The couple is pictured here in September 2023
“And I had a whole agenda for what I thought my year would be and what I thought my priorities would be in the coming weeks and months,” he continued.
“And the reality that all of that was going to change and take a different trajectory honestly felt like a nightmare at first that I couldn’t quite wake up from, it’s a lot.”
When Robin asked how his optimism helped him, James explained, “There are a few things I knew. As soon as I was diagnosed, I knew, “Okay, this is going to add a lot of happy years to my life, I’m going to make changes that I otherwise never would have made, that in thirty years I’ll look back and say, Thank God this happened. So What can I do now to make that happen?”
“And that’s how I was about 90 percent of the time. I’d say I was about 10 percent a sobbing, terrified mess, which I think is a pretty good percentage,” he laughed.
“But it was an exercise in just being present with everything, and really just letting the fear come up and looking at it and also saying, ‘Okay, why is this in my prescription? Why do all these emotions come up? And how can this be great for me?”
Robin then noted that he was able to keep his diagnosis “private” for “so long” and asked why he wanted to share his story now.
“A few things,” he replied. “I got a gossip call and said, ‘We’ve got this story and we’re going to work on it.’ Luckily, I had started to put some wheels in motion about how I would talk about it.
“I had agreed to do the real Full Monty, a two-hour special on Fox in which a number of celebrities learn and perform the Full Monty striptease to raise awareness for early cancer detection.
James revealed he was ‘feeling good’ ‘physically’ but said it had been a ‘tough’ and emotional ride
‘I thought that would be really good, it would be good to support a group of guys. And because I was in the public eye for so long, I thought there would be a purpose for this.
‘I think by sharing this I can do some good, especially my type of cancer…is now twice as common as it was in the 1990s, and in younger and healthier people.
“So the more I could spread the word to get tested, get your colonoscopies, get scanned before you even have symptoms. Whatever I can do to get that word out.
“As wonderful and cathartic as this year has been, it has been tough. If I can help someone, if I can save someone the experience of my last year, I would like to do that.’
When James first announced his cancer diagnosis in early November, he spoke exclusively to People.
In his statement he said: ‘I have colorectal 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.’