PHOTOSJames Van Der Beek Shocks 'DWTS' Crowd Revealing Wife Suffered A Miscarriage And Nearly Died
Nov. 19 2019, Published 12:59 p.m. ET
James Van Der Beek’s wife Kimberly suffered a miscarriage. James revealed the news during the semifinals of Dancing With The Stars on November 18 and Kimberly later revealed she “almost” lost her life during the tragedy. The couple announced that she was pregnant with baby number six in October.
“My wife Kimberly and I went through every expecting parent’s worst nightmare. We lost the baby,” James, 42, said in an emotional video package on DWTS. “The little soul that we had expected to welcome into our 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. It makes you more human.”
The Dawson’s Creek alum admitted he planned not to compete on Monday’s episode of DWTS, but Kimberly pushed him to continue. He dedicated his performance to his wife. “Kimberly, I love you. Thank you for pushing me out on that dance floor,” he said after receiving at 27/30 score from the judges. “Thank you for everything you do. I don’t know how you do it. Five kids. You’re amazing.”
James elaborated on the tragedy on Instagram and wrote, “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,” he wrote. “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.”
Kimberly, 37, later took to her Instagram Story and said, “Thank you, everyone, for all the love.” She revealed, “In 48 hours we lost our baby boy and I almost lost my life. At some point, I can dig into the details about what happened in the emergency room. And James got eliminated from Dancing With The Stars. I am shocked.”
The couple are parents to Olivia, 9, Joshua, 7, Annabel, 5, Emilia, 3, and Gwendolyn, 16 months.
