James Van Der Beek explains why he felt he had to keep his cancer diagnosis a secret

News about James Van Der Beek The diagnosis of colorectal cancer came as a surprise to many, but the actor did not plan for it.

Sunday’s Dawson’s Creek alum announced his diagnosis via People.

“I am personally dealing with this diagnosis and taking steps to resolve it with the support of my wonderful family,” the 47-year-old father of six. told the magazine in exclusive.

After the news broke on Sunday, the Varsity Blues star continued his statement by saying: a candid post published on his Instagram account the same day he explained why he felt the need to keep his health condition a secret.

“Every year, approximately 2 billion people worldwide are diagnosed with this disease. And I’m one of them,” he began. “There is no guide on how to announce these things, but I planned to talk about this in detail 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 explained, that plan “had to change early this morning when I was informed that the tabloid would be publishing the news.”

The “Don’t Trust B in Apartment 23” program graduate said that some of his loved ones didn’t even know about his diagnosis until they learned about it from the press.

“I apologize to all the people in my life that I planned to tell myself,” he said. “Nothing in this process happened in my preferred timeline…”

Van der Beek also noted that although he has “still been doing this privately,” he is “in good health and feeling strong.”

“This was quite the beginning and I will tell you more when I’m ready,” he wrote.

It’s unclear exactly when the Labor Day star planned to publicly announce her diagnosis, but there must have been plans to do so relatively soon.

Next month, Van der Beek will appear in a two-hour special dedicated to raising awareness of prostate, testicular and colorectal cancer testing and research, according to People. The special, titled “The Real Full Monty,” is inspired by the 1997 Oscar-nominated film “The Full Monty,” in which a group of average-looking men decide to perform a male striptease in which they show All to raise money for his friend. Special featuring Taye Diggs and Tyler Posey, will air on Fox on December 9.