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The 33-year-old, who made his debut on the soap earlier this year, was left paralysed from the neck down in 2006 after suffering a diving accident while on holiday in Goa, India.
Emmerdale fans have recently seen Walker appear in the role of Steve Kelly, who tried to help regular character Jackson Walsh (Marc Silcock) come to terms with life as a tetraplegic.
Walker told The Mirror: "Of course it's a negative thing and initially you can't imagine life without moving your arms or legs. There's a lot of adjustment and I've had bad times myself. In the first year I found it hard to get used to having carers. I was impatient, frustrated and I stopped chatting up girls."
However, he added: "I've sailed single-handed across Bassenthwaite in the Lake District and I regularly take my brother's dog for a two-mile walk around our local lake. I go to watch Manchester City, I go to the pub, I travel abroad and I want to play wheelchair football. I'm massively independent and plenty of times I forget I'm in a wheelchair."
Walker, who began filming at Emmerdale in February, currently devotes much of his time to charity work.
"Of course, there are bad days. But in many ways my life is so much better than it was before," he said. "As I got older I found myself caught up in the rat race. Now I spend my days helping other people and it's fantastic. I want to show that you can live life to the full, whatever your situation."
Walker's on-screen character Steve provided a contrast to Jackson, who did not want to live with his disability.
Emmerdale viewers saw Jackson's story come to an end earlier this week as his boyfriend Aaron Livesy and mum Hazel Rhodes helped him to end his own life.
> Emmerdale Jackson plot complaints assessed by Ofcom
> Emmerdale Q&A: Marc Silcock discusses Jackson's exit
> Read our Emmerdale news and spoilers
