James Van Der Beek reveals subtle early cancer symptom he dismissed before shock diagnosis

James Van Der Beek has shared the early cancer symptom he had that was so subtle that he initially dismissed it.

Last year, the actor announced that he had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer. He made his diagnosis public in November 2024 via a moving Instagram post.

"Each year, approximately 2 billion people around the world receive this diagnosis. And I’m one of them," the actor's post read. "There’s no playbook for how 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."

James Van Der Beek announced in 2024 that he was battling cancer (JC Olivera/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)

The Dawson's Creek favorite continued to write: "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’s been quite the initiation, and I’ll tell you more when I’m ready.

"Apologies to all the people in my life who I’d planned on telling myself. Nothing about this process has occurred on my preferred timeline… But we roll with it, taking each surprise as a signpost, pointing us toward a greater destiny than we would have discovered without divine intervention."

The 48-year-old concluded the poignant post by thanking people for their support.

Van Der Beek, who is a father of six kids, has continued to work since his shocking diagnosis and recently starred on the latest season of The Masked Singer.

Van Der Beek featured on The Masked Singer earlier this year (FOX via Getty Images)

Elsewhere, the actor has made it his mission to raise awareness about colorectal cancer screenings and took part in The Real Full Monty, where he and a host of other male stars stripped on stage to raise awareness about his type of cancer, as well as prostate and testicular cancer.

READ MORE:

JAMES VAN DER BEEK EXPLAINS WHY HE WAS FORCED TO SHARE CANCER DIAGNOSIS

CHADWICK BOSEMAN'S WIDOW ISSUES WARNING AS SUBTLE SIGNS OF COLON CANCER ARE REVEALED

"If we can do a strip tease in front of live audience, hopefully that will inspire people to go get checked," Van Der Beek said in a trailer for the TV special.

Now, in a recent interview with Healthline, the One Tree Hill actor has shared a symptom he had prior to his diagnosis.

"There wasn’t any red flag or something glaring," he admitted. "I was healthy. I was doing the cold plunge. I was in amazing cardiovascular shape, and I had stage 3 cancer, and I had no idea."

One sign, however, was minor changes in his bowel movements.

The actor said there wasn't a 'red flag' that alerted him to his cancer (JC Olivera/Variety via Getty Images)

According to the American Cancer Society, other symptoms of colorectal cancer include bleeding from your bottom, blood in your poo, losing weight without knowing why, fatigue, and cramping or abdominal pain.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.