Washington, March 16 -- Actor James Van Der Beek recalled the toughest years of his life. He spoke about his battle with stage 3 colorectal cancer.

James revealed it last year. It has affected his marriage to Kimberly Van Der Beek and the lives of their six kids--Olivia, 14; Joshua, 13; Annabel, 11; Emilia, 8; Gwendolyn, 6; and Jeremiah, 2, reported E! News.

"Today's my birthday, and it has been the hardest year of my life," said James in a selfie video shared on his Instagram earlier. "When I was younger, I used to define myself as an actor, which was never really all that fulfilling. And then I became a husband, and that was much better. And then I became a father, and that was the ultimate."

The actor, who married Kimberly in 2010, ...