James Van Der Beek was diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

“I faced this diagnosis privately and took steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family,” said the Dawson Creek elder, 47, said People on Sunday, November 3. “There is reason to be optimistic and I feel good.”

James did not further detail his health battle but has his loved ones in his corner. The actor was married to Kimberly Van Der Beek since 2010 and they share six children.

Earlier on Sunday, Kimberly, 42, praised their relationship.

Related: Timeline of the relationship between James Van Der Beek and his wife Kimberly

James Van Der Beek and his wife Kimberly Van Der Beek (née Brook) have been a swooning couple for over 10 years. The Dawson’s Creek alum met Kimberly in 2009, less than a year after finalizing his divorce from ex-wife Heather McComb. “I was in Israel, traveling with an organized group, when it came to me: (…)

“Northern cardinals, the ‘romantic’ births that mate for life, travel together, sing before nesting, and feed on seeds beak-to-beak during courtship,” reads an anonymous message Kimberly received. shared in her Instagram story. She captioned it “Hi baby” and tagged James’ account.

James and Kimberly are parents for Olivia, 13, Joshua, 12, Annabel, 10, Emilia, 7, Gwendolyn, 6 and Jeremiah, 2. (Kimberly also suffered several miscarriages.)

James has long spoken candidly about his parenting journey, said before Us every week how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted his views.

“I’m just learning to prioritize. I think we all realized that we were all really busy before with things that didn’t really serve us and didn’t necessarily make us happy,” James said exclusively. We in September 2020. “So now we say to ourselves: “What am I building my life around? (I realized) that a lot of the things I thought I was doing were either based on an outdated idea of ​​what I thought was important to make me happy, or based on someone’s hope, dream, or expectation. ‘another.

Related: ‘Dawson’s Creek’ Cast: Where Are They Now?

Since Dawson’s Creek premiered in 1998, the series has become a fan favorite and remains one of the most popular teen dramas to ever hit the small screen. The series followed the life of Joey Potter (Katie Holmes), a tomboy who is trying to finish high school following the death of (…)

He added: “It’s been a real lesson in being present and recognizing how much I need to be present more, with my kids and my family, and what’s really important. I pay a lot more attention to what I consume in terms of food, media, stories and entertainment. Does it enrich me? Does this make me happy? Does it give me energy? And how do I feel afterwards?

James and Kimberly then moved their brood from Los Angeles to suburban Texas. Earlier this week, he looked forward to dressing up for Halloween with his daughters and sons.

“Growing up, I made all my own costumes. I didn’t really have a choice. But I loved it,” James wrote via Instagram Friday, November 1st. “That probably should have been the first warning sign to my parents that I would end up an actor . But in a SPIRIT HALLOWEEN world…my six-year-old daughter was devastated that her angel costume didn’t arrive in time for the party.

He continued: “After admitting to her tears, she was given the project of creating her own halo, which she worked on for HOURS – by wrapping yellow yarn around garden wire. Focused in a way you might not have thought possible. And the look of pride on his face when he saw the final project in the mirror was, for me… my favorite moment of Halloween.