Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek unveils extreme body transformation

Startling before-and-after photos show the drastic effects of a health kick for Dawson’s Creek actor James Van Der Beek, 42.

James Van Der Beek is strutting his stuff.

The actor, 42, took to Instagram on Wednesday to share photos of himself before and after his stint on the US season of Dancing with the Stars.

The Dawson’s Creek star went shirtless for both photos, but the more recent picture put Van Der Beek’s newly toned abs on full display.

“Fight training vs. dancing,” he captioned the post. “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. Now I can rumba.”

Van Der Beek made it to the semi-finals of DWTS before being eliminated on the same night he revealed that his wife, Kimberly, suffered a miscarriage.

As Dawson circa 1999.

James at the Emmys in September. Picture: Getty

“Wrecked. Devastated. In shock,” the actor said in an Instagram post following the miscarriage. “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.”

Despite the elimination, Van Der Beek encouraged fans to follow their passions when he posted a video of him dancing on the show.

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“Yet another life lesson reinforced for me at 42 on this crazy reality show dance competition,” he said. “If you’re feeling too old to pick up a new skill you always wished you had … f***ing go for it.”

This article originally appeared on Fox News and was reproduced with permission.