James Van Der Beek shocked fans on November 4 by announcing he is battling colorectal cancer. “It’s been quite the initiation,” he said of the disease, which affects 2 million people worldwide every year. “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’ll be the fight of his life, but he’ll have plenty of backup: His wife, Kimberly, and their six children — Olivia, 14, Joshua, 12, Annabel, 10, Emilia, 8, Gwendolyn, 6, and Jeremiah, 3. “James plans to beat this,” an insider exclusively tells In Touch. “He’s coping with his diagnosis by staying close to his family and keeping busy.” One way he’ll do that is by appearing on Fox’s The Real Full Monty on December 9. The special, inspired by the 1997 film, follows the Dawson’s Creek alum, along with Taye Diggs, Anthony Anderson and Bruno Tonioli, as they perform a strip tease to promote awareness and remove the stigma surrounding prostate, testicular, and colorectal cancers. “James plans to open up more about his cancer journey,” adds the insider, “in hopes of helping others with his story.”
