James Van Der Beek Hugs Wife Kimberly in Photo After Talking About Weight Loss

James Van Der Beek and his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beekthey are busy during the holidays.

Kimberly, 43, took to Instagram on Sunday, December 21, to share a cozy photo of James, 48, with his arm around her. “Me and my bae @vanderjames,” she captioned a happy snap that appeared to be taken outside their Texan ranch.

The photo, which shows James in a warm winter coat paired with loose pants and Kimberly in a cherry red dress, comes just days after James publicly addressed fans’ concerns about the significant weight he lost during his two-year cancer battle.

Interviewed for the Friday, December 19 episode Today show, James touched on fans’ concerns after talking about his absence from the group Dawson’s Creek a live reading was held in New York City in September. “I lost a lot of weight because of a stomach bug,” she said on the show, clarifying that the change in her appearance was “not related to cancer.”

James added, “Even though we have cancer, everything is like, ‘Why don’t we grow that stomach bug?’

The interview also includes James’ reflections on his life as he remembers when he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, which he announced publicly in November 2024. “I was shocked. But you know, one of the things I was really lucky about was when I heard the news, I thought, ‘This is going to be the best thing that ever happened to me.’ … I had this little voice in my head that said, ‘You’re going to make changes in your life that you never would have if you didn’t have an extreme diagnosis, and it’s going to add healthy, happy years to your life,’ ” she told the outlet.

The actor also said that there are important lessons in his life from his cancer journey. “I don’t think I knew what it was to slow down before … to really look at everything I eat, everything I put in my body. Actually, the biggest change I can say would be this journey of loving myself. What I realized is, I still deserve to be loved. My love, God’s love,” she explained.

The interview also saw James detail the support Kimberly and the couple’s six children – Olivia, 15, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 11, Emilia, 9, Gwendolyn, 7, and Jeremiah, 4 – have provided after his diagnosis.

“I wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for my wife,” he said. “He [Kimberly] she has just risen as a caretaker, as a nurse, as the head of the household. And then children, as much as I want to protect myself from seeing me in any kind of pain … you see that resilience is not only something that has and can build, but it is the best thing for them. “

James revealed his diagnosis in an Instagram post that noted that he took the time to share the news with fans. “I’ve been dealing with this in private so far, getting treatment and driving through my life with more focus than ever,” the actress wrote in a November 2024 post. “I’m in a good place and feeling strong. It was just the beginning, and I’ll tell you more when I’m ready. … Please know that my family and I deeply appreciate all the love and support.”