Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek said living with cancer feels like a ‘full-time job’ in a health update following his colorectal cancer diagnosis
Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek said living with cancer feels like a ‘full-time job’ as the star shared a health update after he was diagnosed with Stage 3 colorectal cancer in August 2023. The actor, who has been married to business consultant Kimberly Brook since 2010 and shares six kids with her, said the cancer will be a ‘process for the rest of his life’.
When James first revealed the news last year, he told fans he was “privately dealing” with the diagnosis and was taking precautionary steps to “resolve it”. The 48-year-old actor, who made his screen debut in 1993 in an episode of Clarissa Explains It All, said he had the support of his ‘incredible family’ and added: “There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good.”
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And now, the star spoke to Today.com and shared an update on his ‘journey’. He said: “It’s a process. It’ll probably be a process for the rest of my life.”
He admitted living with cancer felt like a “full-time job” and he’s focusing on finding “the beauty of just taking things a little bit more slowly and prioritising rest and really allowing that to be the job”.
James went on to urge people to get screening for colorectal cancer, adding that he was screened at 46, a year after the recommended screening age.
“I thought I was way ahead of the game,” James explained. “I ate as well as I could. I was healthy. I was in amazing cardiovascular shape. There was no reason in my mind that I should have gotten a positive diagnosis.”
The actor is currently working on the Legally Blonde prequel series, which has helped distract him. “The greatest thing about work is cancer doesn’t exist between action and cut,” he said.
While James has been acting on screen in film and TV shows since the early 1990s, he is still best known to many as the titular Dawson Leery of iconic teen drama Dawson’s Creek. The show also launched the careers of Oscar nominee Michelle Williams, Batman actress Katie Holmes, and Canadian star Joshua Jackson.
Colorectal cancer is a term for bowel cancer – which can form and grow in the large bowel, which includes the colon and rectum.
The disease is one of the most common types of cancer in the UK, but can be detected through bowel cancer screening and, if caught early, is one of the easiest forms of cancer to treat.
The NHS records symptoms to watch out for are changes in your poo, such as having softer poo, diarrhoea or constipation that is not usual for you, blood in your poo which could look red or black, a sensation of needing to poo even if you’ve just been to the toilet – and other symptoms including tummy pain, bloating and unexpected weight loss.
The Macmillan Support Line offers confidential support to people living with cancer and their loved ones. If you need to talk, call us on 0808 808 0000.
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