Following the season 28 finale of the dancing competition series, the 'Pose' star shares on Instagram a side-by-side photo showing his body transformation.
- November 28, 2019
AceShowbiz - James Van Der Beek might not win the mirrorball trophy from "Dancing with the Stars", but he went home with something to be bragged upon. On Wednesday, November 27, the former "Dawson's Creek" star turned to social media to show off his ripped physique.
Putting his body transformation on display, the Elijah Mundo of "CSI: Cyber" posted on Instagram a before-and-after photo of himself. While he looked fit in both shirtless shots, the second picture showcased a leaner version of himself with more defined muscles.
"Fight training vs. Dancing," the 42-year-old actor captioned the snap. "I'd been training in Muay Thai three days a week for about six months (for the next project I'm writing) when I hit pause to dance six hours a day." He went on to jokingly add, "Now I can rhumba."
The post was quick to grab positive comments from fans and other celebrities alike. Ryan Jamaal Swain, James' co-star on "Pose", was among those left impressed by the change. In the comment section, he exclaimed, "Word!!!!!" Another one was "DWTS" pro-dancer Jenna Johnson who applauded him, "YES James!!!! This is amazing."
James' dancing partner on the dance competition show, Emma Slater, went further by praising him for his hard work. "Both cut but you can see dancing really defines everything," she noted. "Especially when you worked as hard as you did! In every way you are a huge advocate for dance @vanderjames!!!"
James was one of the twelve celebrities competing in season 28 of the ABC show. Despite being a fan favorite, he was sent home during the semi-final episode when the judges chose to save Ally Brooke and Sasha Farber from elimination. The trophy ultimately went to Hannah Brown of "The Bachelorette" and her partner, Alan Bersten.
While he received positive responses for both his time on the show and for his transformation, James has recently undergone a family tragedy. In the November 18 episode of "DWTS", he revealed that his wife, Kimberly, has suffered another miscarriage. "We lost the baby," he tearfully shared. "The little soul that we had expected to welcome into our family took a shortcut to whatever lies beyond. You never know why these things happen. That's what I've been telling my kids."
