Dawson: actor James Van Der Beek announces he has colorectal cancer

An entire generation has not forgotten this series. “Dawson” was a worldwide success between 1998 and 2003. The American series featured the life of Dawson Leery, a 15-year-old teenager, with his group of friends in the town of Capeside in the United States and addressed themes as diverse as love, addictions, cancer, homophobia or death.

Twenty years later, the actor who played Dawson, James Van Der Beek, is 47 years old, married and the proud father of six children aged 1 to 12. A happiness that is tarnished by illness. James Van Der Beek has cancer.

The actor announced his illness in the American magazine People. “I have colorectal cancer. I faced this diagnosis privately and took steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family,” he explains. He nevertheless wants to be reassuring. “There are reasons to be optimistic and I feel good.”

A cancer that can be avoided

Colorectal cancer develops from cells that line the inner lining of the colon or rectum. The benign tumor grows slowly and can become cancerous. Colorectal cancer represents the second cause of cancer death in men and women, with 17,117 deaths per year, recalls Santé Publique France. However, it can be discovered in time thanks to screening for occult blood in the stool. In France, screening is offered to all people between 50 and 74 years old every two years, at the invitation of Health Insurance.

If James Van Der Beek experienced a professional slump of around ten years after the end of “Dawson”, he has since returned to several roles. To raise awareness about screening for prostate, testicular and colorectal cancer, he decided to take part in the British reality TV show “The Real Full Monty” where male celebrities take off their clothes. The show was adapted in France on TF1 in 2020 under the title “Stars à nu”.