90s Heartthrob Diagnosed With Cancer Says Wife ‘Saved’ His Life originally appeared on Parade.
Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek celebrated his 15 year wedding anniversary with his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek on August 1. To mark the special occasion, he shared a post on social media commemorating the day and taking some time to thank his wife for everything she’s done for him — especially since his cancer diagnosis.
“15 years ago today, this woman agreed to be my bride,” James began. “@vanderkimberly you are the most extraordinary human I’ve ever met. One day I’ll tell the story of what you’ve endured these last two years and how you’ve shown up, time and time and time again. You have not only saved my life… you’ve shown me what it is to live. There are no words for how much I love and appreciate you. I could not do this without you.”
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A post shared by James Van Der Beek (@vanderjames)
Fans rushed to the comments section of the post to shower the couple with love.
“You two are goals. I will never know you, personally, but I aspire to have the gratitude and respect that you two have. Sending you anniversary wishes,” one person wrote.
“What a lovely tribute to your beautiful wife. Happy anniversary,” someone else said.
James, who was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in 2023, recently shared an update about his prognosis.
“I’m just on the journey,” James told Today in an interview published July 30. “It’s a process. It’ll probably be a process for the rest of my life.” He went on to say that he had his first colonoscopy at age 46 and thought he was “ahead of the game,” not realizing the recommended age had been dropped to 45.
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“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,” he added.
James has been speaking out about his diagnosis and the importance of screenings in an effort to “save somebody that journey.”
90s Heartthrob Diagnosed With Cancer Says Wife ‘Saved’ His Life first appeared on Parade on Aug 2, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
