He didn’t beat around the bush. “It is cancer,” James Van Der Beek shared with his 1.5 million Instagram followers on 4. “Each year, approximately 2 [million] people around the world receive this diagnosis.

James Van Der Beek is speaking out about how he "went into shock" after being diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer.

The actor opens up to PEOPLE about finding out he has colorectal cancer — and what's next for him — in an exclusive interview.

"I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it," James Van Der Beek said.

James Van Der Beek was diagnosed with colorectal cancer last year, he shared, and has been dealing with it privately until now. He wants to raise awareness.

James Van Der Beek is best known for his role as the titular character in the popular WB series Dawson’s Creek. Since then, the teen heartthrob, now 47, has married and welcomed a slew of children. And recently,

James Van Der Beek rose to fame as an actor but one of his favorite roles to date is that of a proud father. The "Dawson's Creek" star and his wife, producer and fellow actor Kimberly Van Der Beek, are parents of six children and often share glimpses of their family life on social media.

James Van Der Beek has shared the symptoms he missed before being diagnosed with stage three colorectal cancer. The 47-year-old father of six shot to fame playing the lead role as Dawson Leery in teen drama Dawson’s Creek, which ran between 1998 and 2003.

Mr. Van Der Beek, who played Dawson Leery in the ’90s drama, told People Magazine that he was being treated for colorectal cancer.