Five children and four miscarriages: Inside James Van Der Beek's family life.

This article was originally published on October 9, 2019. It was updated on November 19, 2019.

Content warning: This post discusses miscarriage, and may be triggering to some readers.

Just one month after James Van Der Beek and his wife, Kimberly Brook, announced that they were expecting their sixth child, the couple have suffered a miscarriage.

The Dawson’s Creek actor, who is currently competing on Dancing with the Stars in the US, shared the news that they were expecting their sixth child on the reality show in October after allowing cameras to film his wife’s first ultrasound appointment.

On Monday night’s episode, however, the 42-year-old actor shared the news that Kimberly had suffered a miscarriage over the weekend.

“My wife Kimberly and I went through every expecting parent’s worst nightmare. We lost the baby,” he said in a video package.

 

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Wrecked. Devastated. In shock. That’s how we’re feeling right now after the soul we thought were going to welcome into our family in April… has taken a short cut to whatever lies beyond this life. We’ve been through this before, but never this late in the pregnancy, and never accompanied by such a scary, horrific threat to @vanderkimberly and her well-being. Grateful that she’s now recovering, but we’ve only just begun unpacking the layers of this one. Thank you to all of our friends and co-workers (and dance partners) who have shown up for us so beautifully during this time. As many of you have said, “There are no words…” and it’s true. Which is why in a time like this it’s enough to know that you’re there. Grieving AND counting our blessings today.

A post shared by James Van Der Beek (@vanderjames) on Nov 18, 2019 at 6:46pm PST

“The little soul that we had expected to welcome into family took a shortcut to whatever lies beyond,” he continued.

“You never know why these things happen, that’s what I’ve been telling my kids. All you know is that it brings you closer together, it breaks you open, it opens up your heart, it deepens your appreciation.”

Van Der Beek also shared a post to Instagram, adding that they would’ve welcomed their new addition in April.

“We’ve been through this before, but never this late in the pregnancy, and never accompanied by such a scary, horrific threat to Kimberly and her wellbeing,” he wrote on Instagram.

Following Van Der Beek’s heartbreaking news, we decided to take a look back at his family – and the additions they’ve welcomed over the years.

Here’s what we discovered.

James Van Der Beek’s marriage.

After his breakout role in Dawson’s Creek in the late ’90s, James Van Der Beek went on to marry actress Heather McComb, who played Scout in TV series The Outsiders.

Need a hit of 90s nostalgia? Mamamia Reviews revisits the best bits from your favourite teen drama, Dawson’s Creek. Post continues after podcast.

The pair were married on July 5, 2003, but the couple separated after six years together, citing irreconcilable differences in April, 2009.

Just months later, Van Der Beek met business consult and producer Kimberly Brook in Israel.

After finalising his divorce from McComb in March 2010, Van Der Beek and Brook announced that they were expecting their first child, before they married in an intimate ceremony at the Kabbalah Center in Tel Aviv, Israel in August 2010.

“Best day of my life so far,” Van Der Beek tweeted following the wedding. “The woman I love did me the honour of [becoming] my wife today, I look forward to earning her for the rest of my life.”

 

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A post shared by James Van Der Beek (@vanderjames) on May 15, 2019 at 10:20pm PDT

Earlier this year, Van Der Beek shared an insight into his nine-year marriage in a lengthy post shared to Instagram.

“Sometimes we fight. Sometimes we bicker. We go to bed angry, usually over stupid stuff that doesn’t really matter but somehow does at the moment,” the 42-year-old wrote.

“But the one thing that seems pretty clear so far is that relationships are not so much about who you are – or who you were when you met – but how you evolve,” he continued.

“It’s important to afford your partner room to change. To not define them by their past actions, or tendencies, or even current limitations, because that puts them in a box which may not allow space for a better, more fully realized version of themselves to take root.

“But pairing up with another flawed human (myself excluded, obviously – I’m perfect) means, in no small way, to transcend science. To love, care, and evolve beyond logic. And to allow your partner to do the same.”

 

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A post shared by James Van Der Beek (@vanderjames) on Apr 19, 2019 at 9:47am PDT

The couple’s five children.

Since their wedding day in 2010, James Van Der Beek and his wife Kimberly have welcomed five children together.

They have four daughters and one son – nine-year-old Olivia, seven-year-old Joshua, five-year-old Annabel Leah, three-year-old Emilia and Gwendolyn, who is one.

The couple welcomed their youngest child, Gwendolyn, at home in June last year.

The couple announced the news with an intimate photo of Van Der Beek holding his just minutes-old newborn daughter, who was still attached to the placenta.

“Thrilled to announce we welcomed a brand new baby girl into the world Friday morning, just in time for #FathersDay,” the then 41-year-old actor posted on Instagram at the time.

 

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A post shared by James Van Der Beek (@vanderjames) on Jun 18, 2018 at 2:26pm PDT

Speaking to People in 2017, Van Der Beek opened up about being a father.

“The second I had kids, they immediately became my priority and everything I did existed to support the life that was all about them in a good way,” he told the publication.

Since appearing on the new season of Dancing with the Stars, the actor has been regularly spotted leaving dance rehearsals with his children in tow.

 

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A post shared by James Van Der Beek (@vanderjames) on Jul 7, 2019 at 2:07pm PDT

 

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A post shared by James Van Der Beek (@vanderjames) on Apr 22, 2019 at 9:25am PDT

 

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A post shared by James Van Der Beek (@vanderjames) on Sep 17, 2019 at 7:35pm PDT

 

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A post shared by James Van Der Beek (@vanderjames) on Aug 26, 2019 at 9:28am PDT

The couple have dealt with three miscarriages.

Over the course of their nine-year relationship, Van Der Beek and Brook have suffered the heartbreak of miscarriage four times.

Speaking to People after they announced their pregnancy (which they have since lost) in October on Dancing With The Stars, Van Der Beek referenced his wife’s previous three miscarriages.

“We’ve had a few appointments where we found out we were not adding to our family and so Kimberly decided to do it on camera, to open it up and allow people to go through the experience – good result or not good result,” he explained.

“You just have to let yourself go through it and go through the journey and be there for each other,” he added, sharing how he has dealt with miscarriage in the past.

“Know that you can’t judge the pain, you can’t judge the process. For us, thankfully, we also have three rainbow babies. It’s life.”

 

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A post shared by James Van Der Beek (@vanderjames) on Oct 3, 2019 at 9:26am PDT

Van Der Beek also shared how he has shared the miscarriage news with his children in the past.

“I think they saw how we were feeling. Our approach is to be as honest as possible. Don’t try to sugar coat anything. They get the light and the dark. You tend to think, ‘They’re too young to understand.’ But they do,” he said.

Posting to Instagram on Tuesday, the actor shared that he decided to share his family’s story “in an 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 and support from friends and family when they need it most.”

If this has raised any issues for you or if you would like to speak with someone, please contact the Sands Australia 24 hour support line on 1300 072 637. 

You can download Never Forgotten: Stories of love, loss and healing after miscarriage, stillbirth, and neonatal death for free here.

For more on this topic:

• James Van Der Beek’s powerful message for miscarriage sufferers.
• James Van Der Beek just shared the very first photo ever taken of the Dawson’s Creek stars.
• James Van Der Beek says he was sexually harassed by “older, powerful men” as a young actor.

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