'Dawson's Creek''s James Van Der Beek Is "Feeling Strong" Amid Cancer Diagnosis

He revealed he was forced to share the news before his "preferred timeline."

James Van Der Beek is publicly speaking out amid his private battle with cancer. The Dawson’s Creek alum, who’s best known for portraying Dawson Leery alongside Katie Holmes's Joey Potter on the long-running Warner Bros. series, revealed in a November 3 interview with People that he is feeling hopeful after sharing his colorectal cancer diagnosis.

“I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family,” the Varsity Blues actor told the publication about his diagnosis. “There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good.” Shortly after the news went public, the 47-year-old star also headed to Instagram to share more details about his health battle, including why he was forced to share the announcement now.

"It is cancer…Each year, approximately 2 billion people around the world receive this diagnosis. And I’m one of them," he wrote before apologizing to his family and friends who’d had to learn about the news online.

He continued, "There’s no playbook for how [to] announce these things, but I’d planned on talking about it at length with People magazine at some point soon…to raise awareness and tell my story on my own terms.” However, Van Der Beek said his plan shifted on Sunday morning once he learned that a tabloid was planning to leak the news without his consent.

“Apologies to all the people in my life who I’d planned on telling myself,” he added. “Nothing about this process has occurred on my preferred timeline…But we roll with it, taking each surprise as a signpost, pointing us toward a greater destiny than we would have discovered without divine intervention.”

Van Der Beek also shared details about his treatment, saying, “I’ve been dealing with this privately until now, getting treatment and dialing in my overall health with greater focus than ever before. I’m in a good place and feeling strong. It’s been quite the initiation, and I’ll tell you more when I’m ready.”

“Please know that my family and I deeply appreciate all the love and support. More to come,” he signed the message. Tagging his wife Kimberly, Van Der Beek accompanied the heartfelt post with a video montage of him with one of his kids and his dog set to the song “Autumn Breeze” by Richard LaForge.