James Van Der Beek releases first statement after announcing cancer diagnosis

James Van Der Beek has released his first statement after announcing his diagnosis of colorectal cancer.

Taking to his Instagram handle on Sunday, the 47-year-old actor posted a slideshow featuring several photos of himself.

“It is cancer,” James began his heartfelt caption.

“Each year, approximately 2 billion people around the world receive this diagnosis. “And I’m one of them,” he further wrote.

The Labor Day actor 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."

“But that plan had to be altered early this morning when I was informed that a tabloid was going to run with the news,” he added.

For those unversed, James revealed his cancer diagnosis in an interview with People magazine on Sunday.

“I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family. There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good,” he told the outlet at that time.