James Van Der Beek wanted to share his cancer diagnosis on “his own terms.”

Just a few hours after the “Dawson’s Creek” hazelnut. revealed his diagnosis of colorectal cancer in a statement to People published on Sunday, he took to Instagram to explain why the news had to come sooner than expected.

“There’s no playbook on how to (announce) these things, but I had planned to talk about it at length with People magazine at some point soon … to raise awareness and tell my story in my own conditions”, the actor. he captioned a video montage reel.

However, the 47-year-old father-of-six had to switch gears when “he was informed that a tabloid would be reporting the news”.

“I’ve been dealing with it privately so far, getting treatment and taking care of my overall health more carefully than ever before,” he continued.

“I’m in a good place and I feel strong. It was quite an initiation and I’ll tell you more when I’m ready.”

Van Der Beek went on to apologize to loved ones and close friends who learned of his cancer The story of the people.

“I apologize to all the people in my life that I had planned to tell,” the “Varsity Blues” actor added.

“Nothing about this process happened on my preferred timeline… But we go with it, taking each surprise as a signpost, moving toward a greater destiny than we would have discovered without divine intervention.”

Van Der Beek then expressed his gratitude for the outpouring of messages he has received since publicly sharing his colorectal cancer diagnosis.

“Please know that my family and I deeply appreciate all the love and support,” he concluded. “More to come…”

In her previous statement to People, Van Der Beek said she had “privately dealt with this diagnosis and … taken steps to address it.”

He also credited “the support of (his) incredible family.”

The actor married his wife Kimberly in 2010 and they share children Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn and Jeremiah.

“There are reasons for optimism and I feel good,” he added.