James Van Der Beek has been hogging the headlines for his appearance in 'Dawson's' Creek' reunion amid cancer battle.
James Van Der Beek is a well-known American actor who is immensely lauded for his portrayal of 'Dawson Leery' on WB's Dawson's Creek. He also played a fictionalised version of himself on the cult ABC sitcom, Don't Trust The B**ch In Apartment 23. However, recently, the actor has been in the news for his health. For the unversed, on August 31, 2023, the actor was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and made the diagnosis public in November last year. In November 2025, he announced he would auction items from Dawson's Creek and Varsity Blues to help cover his medical bills.
However, almost a month later, James Van Der Beek was spotted during the filming of Dawson's Creek Reunion, leaving the fans concerned about his health. While the actor has been candid about his health struggle, there is a chapter in his life that not many are familiar with. Yes, we are talking about his first marriage to Heather McComb and why the couple decided to part ways. So, without any further ado, let us introduce you to James' first wife and take a quick look at their seven-year marriage and what led to its end.
Before tying the knot with Kimberly Brook, James Van Der Beek was married to Heather McComb. However, not many know that the Rules of Attraction actor's first wife, Heather herself is an actress as well. Born on March 2, 1977, Heather hails from Barnegat, New Jersey. Her older sister, Jennifer McComb, is an actress as well. While little is known about her early personal life or educational background, it's reported that the actress made her acting debut at age 2.
You heard that right, the actress started her acting journey when she was just a 2-year-old with a commercial for Publisher's Clearing House. However, it wasn't until 1989 that she got her first major acting role. Heather McComb played the title character 'Zoe' in Francis Ford Coppola's segment, Life Without Zoe, of the anthology film, New York Stories. Nonetheless, her rise to fame was still a year away.
Heather McComb might not have had her 'mainstream actress moment,' but she did amazingly well in the 1990s. The actress has an impressive 87 credits on her IMDb profile. One of the first major roles Heather portrayed was in the 1990 TV program, The Outsider. While the show lasted only a year, her portrayal of 'Scout' gave her a solid foundation in the industry. She went on to star in the 1996 television film Generation X, and became the first actress to play the 'X-Men' character, 'Jubilee' on screen in 1997. She also starred in the TV shows, Profiler as 'Frances Malone' and Party of Five as 'Maggie'.
Fans often recognise Heather McComb for her portrayal of teen 'Laura Benton', a love interest for 'Zach Morris', on the hit series, Saved by the Bell. Her other credits include All the Real Girls, 2012: Supernova, Girl Followed, and The Joyriders, among others. As for Gen Z, they might recognise the actress from the 2019 comedy film Most Likely to Murder, where she plays 'Laura.' In recent years, she has also appeared in much-loved series, Station 19 Season 3, Episode 5: Into the Woods, and Grey's Anatomy Season 16, Episode 14: A Diagnosis, portraying the role of 'Rachel Burke' in both shows.
While little is known about Heather McComb's dating history with James Van Der Beek, reports indicate that the two married on July 5, 2003. During their union, they were spotted vacationing and on dates, and they supported each other on several occasions. However, their marital bliss was short-lived as they decided to part ways in April 2009, and James filed for divorce a few months later.
It was James Van Der Beek who filed for divorce on November 20, 2009. While the ex-couple never addressed the reason for their split, it was stated that their 'irreconcilable differences' led to their divorce. However, many believe that the actress' decision not to have children eventually became a hurdle to their marital bliss. Nonetheless, the same could not be confirmed. What is further surprising is that after their split, it was James who underwent a vasectomy just to reverse it later when he married his second wife, Kimberly Brooks, going on to have six children together.
Heather McComb kept her personal life away from the limelight after her divorce from James Van Der Beek. She is often spotted with her dog. The actress earlier had a Yorkie named Finn. However, her last picture was with a Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
After years of keeping her personal life away from the spotlight, Heather McComb finally revealed that she has given love another chance. The actress is engaged to Scott Michael Campbell. In her last post dated November 11, 2025, she posted a video from the ARPA Film Festival and in the caption called Scott her 'beautiful fiancé'. The caption could be read as:
"Thank you to everyone @arpafilmfestival, what an amazing night celebrating independent films from around the world! What made it even more amazing was seeing my beautiful fiance @scottmichaelcampbell shine as master of ceremonies."
What are your thoughts on Heather McComb and her relationship with James Van Der Beek?
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