James Van Der Beek says he was forced to reveal cancer diagnosis earlier than planned

James Van Der Beek is determined to take control of his own narrative.

On Sunday, the Dawson’s Creek alum, 47, announced that he has been privately battling colorectal cancer — but in an Instagram followup several hours later, the actor admitted that his exclusive statement to PEOPLE is not how he originally envisioned sharing the news.

“Each year, approximately 2 billion people around the world receive this diagnosis. And I’m one of them,” Van Der Beek captioned a slideshow of photos, set to the tune of “Autumn Breeze” by Richard LaForge. “There’s no playbook for how [to] 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.”

Unfortunately, Van Der Beek says his plan “had to be altered early this morning when I was informed that a tabloid was going to run with the news.”

The actor continued, “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.”

He went on to apologize to loved ones who learned about his health update via media coverage, reiterating that this was not how he’d hoped to deliver the news.

“Apologies to all the people in my life who I’d planned on telling myself,” he wrote. “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.”

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The Varsity Blues actor, who shares six children with his wife Kimberly, concluded, “Please know that my family and I deeply appreciate all the love and support. More to come…”

Van Der Beek’s initial announcement came in the form of a brief statement, in which he expressed high hopes for the result of his treatment plan: “I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family,” he said. “There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good.”

Representatives for Van Der Beek confirmed his diagnosis to Entertainment Weekly, but declined to comment further. 

Van Der Beek will have another opportunity to open up about the diagnosis in December, as he has signed on to participate in The Real Full Monty, a two-hour Fox special that will raise awareness for prostate, testicular, and colorectal cancer testing and research — and end with a troupe of male celebrities performing a striptease. The men will push their limits with a series of curated challenges, and also share personal stories about cancer’s impact on their lives. 

Van Der Beek will be joined by Anthony Anderson (Black-ish), Taye Diggs (All American), Tyler Posey (Teen Wolf), Bruno Tonioli (So You Think You Can Dance?), and the NFL’s Chris Jones for the special slated to air on Monday, Dec. 9.