A nicotine love Affair! Ruth Wilson cuts a casual figure in a stripy dress as she puffs on a cigarette during night out with friends

The second series of The Affair is scheduled to return to TV screens next month.

And Ruth Wilson has been lying low in the run-up to the big launch, catching up with some friends outside a West Village Bar in New York City on Monday night.

The 33-year-old British actress was spotted smoking as she chatted to her pals, a cigarette dangling from her lips.

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Smoking hot: Ruth Wilson was puffing on a cigarette as she chatted to a group of friends outside a West Village Bar in New York City on Monday night

Smoking hot: Ruth Wilson was puffing on a cigarette as she chatted to a group of friends outside a West Village Bar in New York City on Monday night

Ruth was her usual laid-back self, hardly wearing any make-up and sporting her honey blonde bob in a bedhead style.

She wore a casual stripy dress with a crossover neckline and a thick black sash knotted at the waist.

The actress complemented her edgy dress with a pair of biker boots, going bare-legged for her night out.

Casual little number: Ruth looked great in her stripy dress with a black sash knotted at the waist
Casual little number: Ruth looked great in her stripy dress with a black sash knotted at the waist

Casual little number: Ruth looked great in her stripy dress with a black sash knotted at the waist

Low-key beauty: The Affair star went for a natural make-up look and wore her blonde bob in a bedhead style

Low-key beauty: The Affair star went for a natural make-up look and wore her blonde bob in a bedhead style

Ruth seemed in great spirits as she chatted animatedly with her pals outside the bar, at one point bursting into peals of laughter.

Fans are eager to watch the next chapter of the critcally-acclaimed show, which will focus on the fallout of the affair between Ruth's character Alison and Noah (Dominic West). 

'This season we will be watching consequences of Noah and Alison's affair. If relationships start from the place of secrecy, can it go to a place of honesty', Ruth explained in a teaser video for the second series.

Not long to go: The 33-year-old Brit and her co-star Dominic West are gearing up for the second series of The Affair, which returns on October 4

Not long to go: The 33-year-old Brit and her co-star Dominic West are gearing up for the second series of The Affair, which returns on October 4

Focusing on the fallout: It was recently revealed the forthcoming series would centre around the aftermath of the affair between Noah and Alison

Focusing on the fallout: It was recently revealed the forthcoming series would centre around the aftermath of the affair between Noah and Alison

Meanwhile, Sarah Treem, the hit show's creator, teased: 'We have more to go in terms of the story before the past catches up to the present.

'I hope we'll be seeing [scorned spouses] Helen and Cole's [stories], it's all still very much theoretical, but that's the idea in my head at this point.'

The Affair has taken America by storm since its 2014 debut, with one critic dubbing the series a 'bewitching exploration of truth and desire.'

The show was triumphant at the 2015 Golden Globes, where Ruth won Best Actress and the show was feted with the coveted Best Television Drama Series prize, while Dominic was nominated for Best Actor.

It also earned nods at this year's Satellite Awards and Writers Guild of America Awards.

Great success: The Affair has taken America by storm since its 2014 debut and earned several awards 

Great success: The Affair has taken America by storm since its 2014 debut and earned several awards 

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