THE THREE WOMEN held captive in a Cleveland home for a decade issued a YouTube video to thank the public for their support and financial backing that is allowing them to restart their lives.

Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight broke their public silence about their “ordeal” in the three-minute, 30-second video issued by their public relations team.

The women had gone missing separately between 2002 and 2004, when they were 14, 16, and 20 years old.

The three women appeared upbeat in the video, although Knight seemed nervous as she spoke about building a “brand new life”.

Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight – the three women held captive in a Cleveland home for a decade broke their public silence in a three-minute video. (AP Photo/Hennes Paynter Communications)

Ariel Castro has pleaded not guilty to a 329-count indictment alleging he kidnapped them off the streets and held them captive in his two-story home.

Castro, a 52-year-old former bus driver, fathered a six-year-old daughter with Berry and is accused of starving and punching Knight, causing her to miscarry. He was arrested 6 May, shortly after Berry broke through a door at the home and yelled to neighbours for help.

Here is the video of the three women thanking their supporters:

(HennesPaynterComm/You Tube)

- Additional reporting AP

Read: Man pleads not guilty to the kidnap and rape of three women for a decade>

More: Final victim in Ohio kidnap case leaves hospital ‘in good spirits’>

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