Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has separated from his wife Danielle

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick often spoke about the influence of his wife Danielle.

Damien and Danielle Hardwick at the 2017 Brownlow. Picture: Michael Klein

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has separated from his wife Danielle.

The three-time premiership winning coach and two-time premiership player has three children with Danielle.

It comes after a tough year for many involved in the AFL, with Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley also recently confirming his separation from wife Tania.

Danielle spent a short amount of time in Queensland at the hub with the Tigers.

Hardwick has often referred to his long-time partner Danielle and her influence. He credited her with the stunning selection of Marlion Pickett, who played his first game in the 2019 grand final.

“I must admit, she was pushing Marlion harder than anyone,’’ Hardwick said after the win.

“She goes, ‘You’ve just got to play him he’s too good’. She was in the VFL coaches box watching me and she kept smiling at me looking at him as he was playing.

“She’s been a terrific supporter of mine and behind every man is a great woman and I’m very fortunate.”

Hardwick also apologised to Sydney coach John Longmire in July this year for comments he said were out of line.

“(Mrs Hardwick) wasn’t overly happy with the press conference. She gave me a dressing down after it. That was a good result,’’ he said at the time.

In October Hardwick said he will take an extended break over the off-season following a “tough” 2020 campaign.

Damien Hardwick and his wife Danielle.

He said he would be away until February and allow his assistants to take the reins in his absence.

“I’m going to take a bit of a longer break this year over summer,” Hardwick told 3AW.

“It’s been a pretty full on 3-4 years and we’ve done a hell of a lot of work and had a lot of success along the way but sometimes you need to step back.

“I’m very lucky that I’ve got some terrific assistants, and a couple of those guys will move on, but the coaching group and the people I have around me do a large amount of work and the reality is I sit at the top and manage those guys.

Hardwick has won a premiership with the Tigers in 2017, 2019 and 2020 and has coached 252 games with the club.