James Van Der Beek’s widow ‘eternally grateful’ as she marks wedding anniversary
By Pierra Willix, Press Association Senior Entertainment Reporter
The widow of Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek has said she is “eternally grateful” on what would have been their 16th wedding anniversary.
The actor, known for starring in US teen drama Dawson’s Creek, died on February 11th after suffering from bowel cancer.
On Sunday, his wife Kimberly Van Der Beek marked their wedding anniversary on Instagram, paying tribute to her late husband and how he “continues to be present and guide” her and their six children.
She wrote: “16 years ago I was the luckiest woman in the world to marry @vanderjames.
“The beauty of this marriage continues to unfold every day with all these incredible children we have. He continues to be present and guide us. I’m eternally grateful.”
Van Der Beek shared several selfies of herself and her husband in the post, as well as one of them hugging their children.
In May, she shared a post to mark three months since her husband’s death, describing the “outpouring of support” as “tremendous”.
She wrote: “To say I’m heartbroken is a severe understatement. Words just don’t capture what grief is. The comforts of shock have worn off. The reality is settling in… and I miss him. We all miss him. Yet, there is a different kind of magic in the air. I feel him. I know him more deeply.
“My conscious connection to God has deepened. The veils of the universe have thinned. And I trust that this is the path me and my family have always been intended to walk.”
She continued: “The outpouring of support has been tremendous. It’s held our family in the most beautiful of ways. You all went absolutely above and beyond anything I could have ever expected in supporting us and honouring James. I am deeply grateful. There is so much more to share here. And in time – I will.”
The couple had six children: daughters Olivia, Annabel, Emilia and Gwendolyn, and sons Joshua and Jeremiah.
Van Der Beek rose to fame playing Dawson Leery in Dawson’s Creek, which also starred Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson and Michelle Williams.
It ran for six seasons, from 1998 until 2003.