As TV fan favorite James Van Der Beek has been winning the hearts of viewers of “Dancing with the Stars,” he has also opened up on a discussion of personal tragedy—one that many share and are afraid to talk about. The actor, known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery on Dawson’s Creek, and his wife, Kimberley, shed light on the oft-shunned topic of miscarriages.
“[Kimberly] and I have been through three of those first appointments to discover either no heartbeat, or no baby, and she wanted to share this moment.”In a tragic turn of events, Kimberly, 37, lost the baby and had a health scare in the process. In what would prove to be his final episode of DWTS, on Nov. 19, James announced the news, saying he and his wife “went through every expectant parents’ worst nightmare.” Now, the family is trying to regroup and heal. “All you know is that it brings you closer together,” he added.
Kimberly had told People that when she and James were considering another baby, “the biggest concern was having enough one-on-one time with each child.” She added, “And it’s getting wildly expensive to travel. But we really felt another child knocking at our door.”
“[W]e need a new word for it. ‘Mis-carriage,’ in an insidious way, suggests fault for the mother—as if she dropped something, or failed to ‘carry.’”James’s post reached hundreds of thousands on Instagram who in turn related their similar experiences. For James, it was a successful “effort to chip away at any senseless stigma around this experience and to encourage people who might be going through it to open themselves up to love & support.”
“In 48 hours we lost our baby—boy, by the way—and I almost lost my life. Which is not a story that has been told, but at some point I can dig into the details with you guys.”Meanwhile, her husband had been eliminated from the show during the ordeal. Responding to fellow contestant Ally Brooke’s offer to give James her spot, Kimberly said:
“It is worth noting that Ally is a beautiful dancer and we love her like family. And she tried to give her spot to James, she tried quitting the show. Little angel.”James’s dance partner Emma Slater said that doing the show was helpful for him after such trauma. “He needed the show,” she told People. In her words, she recalled him saying, “I’m grateful to have an outlet and to have a form of physical expression and keep that engine to keep me going. I need to feel normal and not fall into the pit.”
Since then, the Van Der Beeks have received an outpouring of support on social media and from the whole cast of “Dancing with the Stars.” By sharing so much of their lives with others, they have brought attention to a subject that often goes unspoken and comfort to many who suffer in silence.
