Breaking News: James Van Der Beek, 47, reveals in a emotional interview that he has been diagnosed with cancer and has been placed in a… See more

James Van Der Beek has opened up about the heartbreaking way his ongoing battle with Stage 3 colorectal cancer has affected his marriage – revealing the diagnosis has left him feeling like he cannot provide for his wife and six children.

The video, titled “What Cancer Taught Me,” began with Van Der Beek telling his more than 1.6 million followers how this past year “has been the hardest of my life.”

“When I was younger, I used to define myself as an actor, which was never all that fulfilling, and then I became a husband and it was much better and then I became a father and that was the ultimate,” the “Dawson’s Creek” star said.

“All of those definitions that I cared so deeply about were stripped from me,” he continued after explaining he was forced to be away from his family while undergoing treatment.

“I was away for treatment, so I could no longer be a husband who was helpful to my wife,” Van Der Beek said. “I could no longer be a father who could pick up his kids and put them to bed and be there for them. I could not be a provider because I wasn’t working.”