James Van Der Beek was a "sobbing, terrified mess" following his cancer diagnosis.
The 'Dawson's Creek' star, 47, recently went public with his health crisis after being diagnosed with colorectal cancer and he's now opened up about the realities of facing such a terrifying ordeal admitting "it felt like a nightmare".
In an interview on 'Good Morning America', James explained: "Physically, I'm great. I’m feeling really good. Emotionally, you know, it's a lot. It's really a ride ...
"I was honestly in shock [after the diagnosis] … I had a whole agenda for what I thought my year would be and what I thought my priorities would be … and the reality that all of that was going to change and take a different trajectory - it felt like a nightmare honestly at first."
James went on to insist he's thankful his cancer was spotted because he'd got a good chance at making a recovery.
He added: "I'm going to make changes that I never would have made otherwise, that I'm gonna look back on 30 years and say: ‘Thank God this happened'
"So what can I do right now in order to make that the case. And that's how it was about 90 per cent of the time. I would say that about 10 per cent of the time I was a sobbing, terrified mess."
During the interview, James fought back tears as he described the support he's received from his wife Kimberley, the mother of his six children.
He said: "She’s been amazing. She’s really taught me what unconditional love is.
"I’m someone who has always in the past tried to do everything for everybody and never asked for help myself and this has put me in a position of having to ask for help but having to receive help.
"And the beautiful blessing of that has been seeing how many people in my life have shown up."
It comes after James shared a candid post to mark the Thanksgiving holiday admitting he feels "thankful" for his "tough year" and is grateful for his "new relationship" with his body.
In a post on Instagram, he wrote: "It’s been a tough year … and I’m thankful for all of it. For the giant life re-direct cancer has placed in my path.
"For the gift of knowing what it feels like to have friends come through on such a profound level, and in ways I never would have been able to ask for had I not been going through it.
"I’m grateful for this new relationship I have to my body, and what I feed it. I’m grateful to each and every one of you who has reached out and sent good vibes and prayers. It all lands and makes a difference."
