James Van Der Beek is taking part in the new TV program The Real Full Monty to raise awareness for colon cancer.
The Dawson’s Creek actor, 47, revealed on his Instagram over the weekend that he had been diagnosed with cancer, later clarifying People that it was colorectal cancer.
And now it has been revealed that James will join a group of male celebrities in Fox’s The Real Full Monty, a two-hour special in which the stars will strip naked to raise awareness about prostate, testicular and colorectal testing and examination. cancer.
The show will air in the US on December 9 with a teaser clip featuring James along with actors Taye Diggs and Anthony Anderson, Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones, Dancing With the Stars judge Bruno Tonioli and musician Tyler Posey stripping down to his underwear at the door. a live audience.
The show is based on the British show of the same name, which has been running since 2017, and will follow the six men as they “train and rehearse for the most revealing performance of their careers, culminating in a big striptease dance.” where they will all be naked in front of a live audience.’
James Van Der Beek strips off for new TV show The Real Full Monty to raise awareness about bowel cancer (pictured in 2020)
James will join a group of male celebrities in Fox’s The Real Full Monty, a two-hour special in which celebrities strip naked to raise awareness of prostate, testicular and colorectal cancer testing and research
‘Leading up to the final undress, the men will push their boundaries of comfort, modesty and brotherhood with a series of rehearsals and experiences, both private and public, designed to build confidence, take them far beyond their comfort zone and deepen their bond. strengthen. a group,” the description reads.
The celebrities will reveal how cancer has affected them on the show, with an insider telling MailOnline that James was ‘very open and spoke to the other contestants about his diagnosis’ during filming, which took place earlier this year.
“He really wants to help others by doing this show. He always thinks about other people and wants to make a difference,” the insider added.
It is unclear what stage of colorectal cancer James has, but the disease is said to start in the colon or rectum in an average of one in 23 men, with 65% surviving past five years.
In James’ statement last week, he said he shared the news “on his own terms” and apologized to the “people in his life he wasn’t able to tell in person first.”
He explained that he had been told that a tabloid was planning to spread the news, so he rushed out before he had a chance to tell certain people, admitting that this was before he would have liked to make it public to make.
He wrote: ‘It’s cancer…’ Approximately 2 billion people around the world are diagnosed with this disease every year. And I am one of them.
“There’s no playbook for how to announce these things, but I planned to talk about it in depth with People magazine soon… to raise awareness and tell my story on my own terms.
The show is based on the British show of the same name, which has been running since 2017, and will follow the six men as ‘they rehearse for the most revealing performance of their careers’
‘Ahead of the final undress, the men will push the boundaries of comfort, modesty and brotherhood,’ it has been revealed
The show will air over the next two months with a teaser clip featuring James alongside actors Taye Diggs and Anthony Anderson (pictured right)
Dancing With the Stars judge Bruno Tonioli and actor and musician Tyler Posey are also in attendance
The Dawson’s Creek actor, 47, revealed on his Instagram over the weekend that he had been diagnosed with cancer, later clarifying to People that it was colorectal cancer (pictured in 2020)
“But that plan had to change early this morning when I got word that a tabloid was going to break the news.”
James continued, “I have been dealing with this privately until now, getting the treatment and dialing in my overall health with more focus than ever before.
‘I’m in a good place and I feel strong. It was quite an initiation, and I will tell you more when I am ready.
“Apologies to all the people in my life that I wish I could have said to myself. Nothing about this process happened on my favorite timeline.
While it’s unclear when James was first diagnosed, it certainly hasn’t slowed him down professionally.
He most recently appeared in an episode of The CW’s Walker and will next be seen in the Tubi film Sidelined: The QB and Me, debuting on November 29.
In James’ statement, he said he shared the news “on his own terms” and apologized to the “people in his life he wasn’t able to tell in person first.”
James shares six children with his wife Kimberly—daughter Olivia, 14; son Joshua, 12; daughter Annabel, 10; daughter Emilia, eight; daughter Gwendolyn, six; and son Jeremiah, three (photo)
Those projects were his first since 2021, when he provided the voice for Boris in the Disney animated series Vampirina.
Following his announcement, the Dawson’s Creek star was praised by fans on social media as they expressed their shock and sadness and sent him well wishes, while many said they hoped his outspokenness would raise awareness of the disease.
James shares six children with his wife Kimberly—daughter Olivia, 14; son Joshua, 12; daughter Annabel, 10; daughter Emilia, eight; daughter Gwendolyn, six; and son Jeremiah, three.